Techno-economic and exergy analysis of tank and pit thermal energy storage for renewables district heating systems

Abdulrahman Dahash, Fabian Ochs and Alice Tosatto

Renewable Energy, 2021, vol. 180, issue C, 1358-1379

Abstract: Large-scale thermal energy storage (TES) emerges as key for the expansion of renewables-based district heating (R-DH) as it is able to bridge the seasonal gap between the heating demand and the availability of renewable energy resources (e.g. solar energy). This work develops a framework for techno-economic analysis considering several key performance indicators (e.g. energy efficiency, exergy efficiency). As TES systems integrated in DH are typically stratified, the work also examines the TES by means of stratification number and efficiency. The economic feasibility of the TES options is examined via the TES specific investment cost. Then, the work recommends the levelized cost of stored heat (LCOS) as a practical measure for the TES techno-economic feasibility. The outcomes show that the tank has higher performance in terms of efficiency indicators (energy and exergy) and stratification measures, but it is characterized with high specific cost. Yet, the tank LCOS is lower compared to that of the shallow pit due to its low performance and despite its low specific cost. Thus, in order to take advantage of the tank's better performance and shallow pit's lower specific cost, the work proposes a third TES geometry called as hybrid TES that combines both tank and shallow pit. The results reveal the potential of this geometry as it arises as a promising option. Furthermore, the results indicate that the transition to low-temperature R-DH brings technical and economic advantages as the LCOS tends to be lower compared to that of TES installed in high-temperature R-DH. Moreover, the work reveals that due to the importance of increasing the economic feasibility for large-scale TES, it is of crucial to develop new materials and construction methods to ensure cost-efficient insulation of the buried TES.

Keywords: Seasonal thermal energy storage; Renewable district heating; Techno-economic assessment; Planning and construction; Levelized cost of stored heat; Exergy analysis (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (6)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:renene:v:180:y:2021:i:c:p:1358-1379

DOI: 10.1016/j.renene.2021.08.106

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