Techno-economic assessment of thermal energy storage technologies for demand-side management in low-temperature individual heating systems
Journal article, 2021

The combined use of thermal energy storage (TES) technologies and heat pumps in building energy systems has been approved to achieve demand-side management. Although there is an increasing number of case studies about the TES applications, crosswise techno-economic evaluations of different technologies are rare, especially for applications in individual heating systems where the storage temperature range is less than 20 K. Hence, in this study, three TES options; water tank (WT), phase change material tank, and building thermal mass (BTM) are simulated and compared. A systematic analysis approach was proposed to assure impartial comparisons of the energy performance and the life-cycle costs (LCC). Special focus was paid on practical issues such as restricted charging power for different TES technologies. It was found that the majority of LCC savings arises from the peak load reduction. The study also shows that BTM is the most cost-effective TES technology while the WT is the least attractive option, due to larger heat loss and lower storage density. Moreover, less discharged energy and cost savings were found in well-insulated buildings due to the restricted discharging power. Still, there could be more incentives for household TES technologies if additional prices or policies are implemented.

Building thermal mass

Water tank

Thermal energy storage

Demand-side management

Phase change material

Author

Yichi Zhang

Chalmers, Architecture and Civil Engineering, Building Technology

Pär Johansson

Chalmers, Architecture and Civil Engineering, Building Technology

Angela Sasic Kalagasidis

Chalmers, Architecture and Civil Engineering, Building Technology

Energy

03605442 (ISSN) 18736785 (eISSN)

Vol. 236 121496

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

Formas (2018-01228), 2019-01-01 -- 2021-12-31.

Driving Forces

Sustainable development

Subject Categories

Energy Engineering

Energy Systems

Building Technologies

Areas of Advance

Energy

DOI

10.1016/j.energy.2021.121496

More information

Latest update

8/2/2021 2