Simulation and analysis of a Carnot Battery consisting of a reversible heat pump/organic Rankine cycle for a domestic application in a community with varying number of houses

Daniel Scharrer, Peter Bazan, Marco Pruckner and Reinhard German

Energy, 2022, vol. 261, issue PA

Abstract: The storage of electric energy is considered to be a crucial element for grids with a high share of renewable energy generation. Carnot Batteries are a promising technology regarding sector coupling or peak shaving applications. In the domestic sector, current research focuses on an application of Carnot Battery systems in single houses with solar power to improve their self-sufficiency and reduce expenditures. However, due to the non-cellular structure (in contrast to li-ion) economies of scale contribute significantly to the viability of the technology. This is why a joint analysis of entire housing communities is necessary, as focusing only on one house neglects possibilities that arise with larger Carnot Battery systems. The Carnot Battery system is modelled after a pilot plant as a reversible heat pump (20 kW)/organic Rankine cycle (7–13 kW) system coupled with a sensible hot water storage. Operation data from a local energy supplier is used to validate the heat storage component of the simulation model, while the thermal machines are based on simulated and experimental data of the pilot plant. An extensive and comprehensive parameter variation is done to find possible application scenarios of the pilot plant and evaluate its financial viability in a community of varying number of houses. Major findings are, that the possible savings the pilot plant Carnot Battery can achieve in such a community depends on the market conditions considered and that it is not financial under current German market conditions. Varying the feed-in tariff and heat costs showcases the limits of a financial application. Based on current projections for the feed-in tariff, an application for a community of 10–30 houses becomes financial in the near future and saves more than 100 € on electricity costs per house per year, with an amortization period of 14 years depending on interest rates.

Keywords: Carnot battery; Heat pump; Organic rankine cycle; Simulation; Validation; Application (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:energy:v:261:y:2022:i:pa:s0360544222020588

DOI: 10.1016/j.energy.2022.125166

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