Thermal Energy Storage technology emerges as a crucial development to support carbon neutrality, thanks to its role in assisting major transformations such as the shift towards renewable energies.
Initiatives such as Thermal Energy Storage in district energy systems are paving the way for what a clean and renewable energy matrix can look like. But the impact of TES solutions goes beyond that, solving some of the key obstacles needed to achieve carbon neutrality, including enhancing efficiency and minimizing energy losses.
Thermal Energy Storage technology: a definition
Thermal Energy Storage technology refers to systems that are able to collect and accumulate thermal energy for future uses.
As such, TES technology minimizes the thermal energy losses that are inherent to certain processes, allowing for the use of energy that would otherwise go to waste. Storage cycles for Thermal Energy Storage technology can be daily (so that the accumulated energy is used in the same day), but also monthly or seasonal.
Today, there are various techniques that are being implemented and explored for thermal storage, falling under the following categories: SHS (Sensible Heat Storage), LHS (Latent Heat Storage) and TCHS (Thermochemical Heat Storage).
TES technologies are able to reduce the imbalance between energy supply and demand, while also facilitating the deployment of certain energy sources that are inherently intermittent, including a number of renewable options. Additionally, these systems are instrumental in the utilization of low-grade waste heat. These applications put Thermal Energy Storage technology at the center of achieving carbon neutrality.
The role of Thermal Energy Storage technology in achieving carbon neutrality
While technologies that enable thermal energy (such as stratified TES tanks) have existed for decades, the current focus on energy efficiency and sustainability has resulted in a renewed interest in these systems.
Simply put, Thermal Energy Storage technologies are being praised for their capacity to assist in recovering thermal energy that would otherwise be lost. This, in turn, acts as an essential requisite for implementing certain measures for carbon neutrality, including the recovery of thermal energy from industrial processes, as well as enabling renewable energy resources.
As reported in the Net Zero by 2025 analysys by the IEA, “most of the reductions in CO2 emissions through 2030 come from technologies already on the market today.” However, the IEA is also clear about the substantial technological leap that is needed in terms of clean energy innovation. In this context, TES technologies are set to become a vital component within the new clean energy matrix, supporting key milestones to achieve the needed leap towards decarbonization of energy.
Understanding carbon neutrality
The European Parliament provides a definition for carbon neutrality as achieving “a balance between emitting carbon and absorbing carbon from the atmosphere.”
As carbon emissions are in the spotlight for their impact on the atmosphere and temperatures, global organizations such as the Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change (IPCC) have put the focus on achieving carbon neutrality in the coming decades.
While certain resources such as soil, forests and oceans act as carbon sinks, they have been overpowered by current CO2 emissions, which reached 53.8 Gt CO2eq in 2022, 2.3% higher than 2019 and 1.4% higher than 2021.
This is where the importance of reducing man-made CO2 emissions comes in. While measures targeting transportation modes are also crucial, addressing the emissions caused by the energy sector stands out for its enormous impact. According to EU figures, the energy sector is responsible for 77% of carbon emissions, followed by agricultural sector (10.55%) industrial processes and product use (9.10%), and waste management (3.32%). Consequently, international organizations agree that carbon neutrality must necessarily address the energy matrix through a combination of the following:
- Decreasing energy consumption
- Optimizing efficiency and minimize losses
- Introducing of renewable, decarbonized energy sources that are alternatives to fossil fuels
Initiatives such as the electrification of heat, implementing circular energy models (such as utilizing waste heat for district heating) or retrofitting buildings for energy efficiency are already moving in the right direction. Additionally, the deployment of clean, renewable energy is at the heart of this transformation: the Net Zero Analysis by the IEA foresees 90% of global electricity generation coming from renewable sources by 2050, and predicts renewable energies will be “responsible for one of the largest shares of global CO2 emission reductions.”
In 2022, the EU achieved a 23% share of renewable energies, which more than doubled between 2004 and 2022. While promising, these figures show efforts must be intensified. As the report by the IEA calls for “a complete transformation of how we produce, transport and consume energy”, Thermal Energy Storage technology holds the key to support key movements in this area.
How Thermal Energy Storage technology contributes to carbon neutrality?
Thermal Energy Storage technology enables clean, renewable energies by addressing their intermittency
Certain renewable energies such as wind and solar are inherently intermittent. Thermal Energy Storage technology addresses this issue by allowing the harnessing of these resources, irrespectively of their availability at the time of demand.
They facilitate the use of waste heat and low-grade heat sources
Addressing heat losses in industrial processes represents another key contribution for Thermal Energy Storage technology.
TES technologies, paired with adequate equipment such as heat pumps, stand out for their potential to recycle such heat sources. Again, they achieve it by addressing the discontinuity of this low-grade waste thermal energy, while also tackling potential misalignments between supply and demand in terms of different locations and times of the day.
This represents a crucial movement for increasing efficiency in energy usage, thus being another key piece in the puzzle of carbon neutrality.
They serve in systems targeting the decarbonization of heat and cooling
Thermal Energy Storage as part of efficient district energy initiatives is an example of the type of cutting-edge solutions that are targeting heat and cooling decarbonization. A key issue, considering IEA figures that show heating must be inevitably addressed to achieve carbon neutrality: this sector accounted for half of total energy consumption and 38% of energy-related CO2 emissions in 2022.
In this context, TES technologies allow for a more efficient approach to heating and cooling that also involves renewable energies and applies circular models.
For instance, applied in district cooling, TES tanks can reduce the required capacity of the cooling plant, use excess cooling capacity production to meet peak cooling demands and increase electrical efficiency by reducing power consumption.
Advantages of Thermal Energy Storage technology
- Push energy efficiency to new frontiers. They are instrumental in minimizing energy losses and provide reliable peak energy capacities by reducing power consumption and coordinating with peak power demands.
- Allow for the efficient integration of intermittent, clean renewable energy sources.
- Build a new energy landscape where end users can employ clean energies while also adjusting their energy demand according to their needs, provided transparency in pricing is facilitated.
Thermal Energy Storage technology is a field where continuous research and technological advancements are driving constant innovation towards more sustainability and cost-efficiency.
The implementation of TES solutions is thus best approached by finding the right allies that are able to apply the best practices for the design of thermal energy storage systems.
This is where ARANER comes in. At the forefront of thermal engineering and innovation, our Thermal Energy Storage solutions are tailor-made to adjust to each project’s needs and potential.
Our expertise allows us to target design specifics for optimizing efficiency. Such is the case of our tailor-made diffusers, used in our Stratified Water Tanks to maximize the efficiency of the system by minimizing the thermal losses.
Want to learn more? Download our Al Ashghal Data Center Case Study to discover a successful example of a partially-buried TES system that was envisioned as an emergency cooling source to maintain the low temperatures of the chilled water supply; or get in touch with our team to discover how we can help you.
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