iTES - Innovative compact heat storage technologies and operation schemes for buildings connected to smart grids

Research Project, 2019 – 2021

This project will explore how innovative compact heat storage technologies can be applied for better utilization of a fast-increasing number of distributed electricity and heat generation units in Swedish buildings, such as photovoltaics and heat pumps. The focus is on technical and operational prerequisites for achieving financial and/or environmental benefits for building owners, who are becoming increasingly more active on the energy market, as well as for energy suppliers who, sooner or later, will need to establish new relationships with customers. Most important is to expand possibilities for avoiding curtailing energy surpluses from renewables over various time scales (through smart grids), decided by weather conditions and reflected in volatile energy prices, without jeopardizing the thermal comfort in buildings. Innovative compact heat storage systems (iTES) are based on the physical principles and properties of phase change materials (PCM) and on thermochemical materials (TCM). With these materials, heat can be stored in a denser form and with smaller losses than conventional heat storage such as hot water storage tanks. iTES require complex planning and control to utilize their full potentials at affordable costs, as shown in our previous studies. The project will provide a method to link investment and operation costs of iTES with the energy performance of a building, by considering dynamic conditions for energy supply in the electricity and heating networks.