scholarly journals Advanced Concrete Steam Accumulation Tanks for Energy Storage for Solar Thermal Electricity

Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (13) ◽  
pp. 3896
Author(s):  
Cristina Prieto ◽  
David Pérez Pérez Osorio ◽  
Edouard Gonzalez-Roubaud ◽  
Sonia Fereres ◽  
Luisa F. Cabeza
Keyword(s):  
Energy Storage ◽  
Thermal Energy ◽  
Current Trend ◽  
Pressure Vessels ◽  
Solar Thermal ◽  
Discharge Process ◽  
Economic Point ◽  
Variable Nature ◽  
Steam Accumulator ◽  
The Cost

Steam accumulation is one of the most effective ways of thermal energy storage (TES) for the solar thermal energy (STE) industry. However, the steam accumulator concept is penalized by a bad relationship between the volume and the energy stored; moreover, its discharge process shows a decline in pressure, failing to reach nominal conditions in the turbine. From the economic point of view, between 60% and 70% of the cost of a steam accumulator TES is that of the pressure vessel tanks (defined as US$/kWhth). Since the current trend is based on increasing hours of storage in order to improve dispatchability levels in solar plants, the possibility of cost reduction is directly related to the cost of the material of pressure vessels, which is a market price. Therefore, in the present paper, a new design for steam accumulation is presented, focusing on innovative materials developed specifically for this purpose: two special concretes that compose the accumulation tank wall. Study of dosages, selection of materials and, finally, scale up on-field tests for their proper integration, fabrication and construction in prototype are the pillars of this new steam accumulation tank. Establishing clear and precise requirements and instructions for successful tank construction is necessary due to the highly sensitive and variable nature of those new concrete formulations.

scholarly journals Long-Term Monitoring of Sensible Thermal Storage in an Extremely Cold Region

Energies ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (9) ◽  
pp. 1821 ◽  
Author(s):  
Getu Hailu ◽  
Philip Hayes ◽  
Mark Masteller
Keyword(s):  
Energy Storage ◽  
Thermal Energy ◽  
Thermal Energy Storage ◽  
Storage System ◽  
Thermal Storage ◽  
Energy Storage System ◽  
Solar Thermal ◽  
Cost Of Energy ◽  
Thermal Energy Storage System ◽  
The Cost

We present more than one-year of monitoring results from a thermal energy storage system located in a very cold place with a long winter season. The studied house is in Palmer city, Alaska (~62° N, ~149° W). The house is equipped with solar PV for electricity production and solar thermal collectors which were linked to a sensible thermal energy storage system which is underneath the house’s normally unoccupied garage and storage space. Sensors were installed in the thermal storage and solar thermal collector array to monitor system temperatures. In addition, TRNSYS was used for numerical simulation and the results were compared to experimental ones. The maximum observed garage ambient temperature was ~28 °C while the simulated maximum ambient garage temperature was found to be ~22 °C. Results indicate that seasonal solar thermal storages are viable options for reducing the cost of energy in a region with extended freezing periods. This is significant for Alaska where the cost of energy is 3–5 times the national average.

Pyrazolium Phase Change Materials for Solar-Thermal and Wind Energy Storage

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karolina Matuszek ◽  
R. Vijayaraghavan ◽  
Craig Forsyth ◽  
Surianarayanan Mahadevan ◽  
Mega Kar ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Energy Storage ◽  
Thermal Energy ◽  
Thermal Energy Storage ◽  
Phase Change Materials ◽  
High Efficiency ◽  
Scale Up ◽  
Solar Thermal ◽  
Energy Storage Materials ◽  
Solar Thermal Energy ◽  
Storage Materials

Renewable energy has the ultimate capacity to resolve the environmental and scarcity challenges of the world’s energy supplies. However, both the utility of these sources and the economics of their implementation are strongly limited by their intermittent nature; inexpensive means of energy storage therefore needs to be part of the design. Distributed thermal energy storage is surprisingly underdeveloped in this context, in part due to the lack of advanced storage materials. Here, we describe a novel family of thermal energy storage materials based on pyrazolium cation, that operate in the 100-220°C temperature range, offering safe, inexpensive capacity, opening new pathways for high efficiency collection and storage of both solar-thermal energy, as well as excess wind power. We probe the molecular origins of the high thermal energy storage capacity of these ionic materials and demonstrate extended cycling that provides a basis for further scale up and development.

Design and Optimization of Integrated Distributed Energy Systems for Off-grid Buildings

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-27
Author(s):  
Jian Zhang ◽  
Heejin Cho ◽  
Pedro Mago
Keyword(s):  
Energy Storage ◽  
Optimal Design ◽  
Power Systems ◽  
Thermal Energy ◽  
Waste Heat ◽  
Carbon Dioxide Emission ◽  
Energy Systems ◽  
Solar Thermal ◽  
Solar Thermal Energy ◽  
Distributed Energy

Abstract Off-grid concepts for homes and buildings have been a fast-growing trend worldwide in the last few years because of the rapidly dropping cost of renewable energy systems and their self-sufficient nature. Off-grid homes/buildings can be enabled with various energy generation and storage technologies, however, design optimization and integration issues have not been explored sufficiently. This paper applies a multi-objective genetic algorithm (MOGA) optimization to obtain an optimal design of integrated distributed energy systems for off-grid homes in various climate regions. Distributed energy systems consisting of renewable and non-renewable power generation technologies with energy storage are employed to enable off-grid homes/buildings and meet required building electricity demands. In this study, the building types under investigation are residential homes. Multiple distributed energy resources are considered such as combined heat and power systems (CHP), solar photovoltaic (PV), solar thermal collector (STC), wind turbine (WT), as well as battery energy storage (BES) and thermal energy storage (TES). Among those technologies, CHP, PV, and WT are used to generate electricity, which satisfies the building's electric load, including electricity consumed for space heating and cooling. Solar thermal energy and waste heat recovered from CHP are used to partly supply the building's thermal load. Excess electricity and thermal energy can be stored in the BES and TES for later use. The MOGA is applied to determine the best combination of DERs and each component's size to reduce the system cost and carbon dioxide emission for different locations. Results show that the proposed optimization method can be effectively and widely applied to design integrated distributed energy systems for off-grid homes resulting in an optimal design and operation based on a trade-off between economic and environmental performance.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document