Energy Storage in Commercial Buildings

Commercial Buildings represent a large portion of total energy consumption. Property managers are actively seeking ways of better managing their energy costs through efficiency measures as well as innovative means of optimizing their expenditures under time of use (TOU) electricity rates and other variable pricing structures offered by utility companies.

CSP with Thermal Storage increases Power Value

Pike Reseach reported on Dec 20, 2011 that, an estimated 70% decline in solar PV prices, and an easier permitting regime due to solar PV’s modularity, has contributed to the impression that CSP had missed its window of opportunity, and would be left behind.

Passive building with PCM and tools for analysis

Building energy consumption for it's temperature can be substantially reduced if solar energy is adequately utilized. Due to a strong need to reduce the total thermal energy requirement (both heating and cooling) in buildings, storage of thermal energy has gained prominence. The integration of phase change materials into building can provide a media to store the energy gain from solar radiation during the day and release the stored energy at night. 

Molten Salt Thermal Energy Storage

In 2011, Changzhou Sunhome Solar Water Heater Manufacture Co., Ltd. established a solar thermal electrical power storage research & development center in Changzhou science city. The R&D team comprises of 20 members including one Professor, one Doctor, six graduates and twelve undergraduates. The test facilities covering 4000 sq.m consists of high temperature storage tank, large scale molten salt heat exchanger, transmission & control of molten salt. The molten salt storage was studied at a laboratory scale before raising the research facility with a 100ton high temperature molten salt storage tank.

DOE presented opportunities to apply phase change materials

Opportunities to Apply Phase Change Materials to Building Enclosures: November 11, 2011
This webinar, presented by research team Fraunhofer Center for Sustainable Energy Systems (CSE), reviewed basic physical characteristics and thermal properties of phase change materials (PCMs) and provided guidance on how to effectively apply PCMs in buildings in the United States. PCMs as building materials components have the potential to achieve significant reductions in space cooling energy consumption and peak cooling loads.

Phase Change Material Trombe Wall

Appalachian State University's The Solar Homestead has taken the second place as on September 30th, 2011 in the Solar Decathlon 2011's communications content!! The Solar Homestead features a phase change material based Trombe Wall.

New Phase Change Material (PCM) Evaporator by Delphi

A Frankfurt press release on September 14, 2011 reported on a new phase change material based evaporator for hybrid vehicles that provides efficient, affordable air conditioning even when the car engine is off. The release stated that Delphi Automotive is developing an air conditioning technology that saves energy without compromising cabin comfort. The product incorporates a Phase Change Material (PCM) in the Evaporator that is expected to keep the cabin of start-stop vehicles cooler longer. The new evaporator is expected to be a direct replacement for the original air-conditioning evaporator. It will lower the cost, will be less complex than an electric air conditioning compressor and is more efficient.