Dr. Conca reports that as we head into the hottest part of summer in the Northern Hemisphere, in what could be the hottest year on record, we barely give a thought to what using air conditioning does to our electricity grid. And what it will do to a hotter world in the future. According to a recent Department of Energy report, the world is gearing up to install 1.6 billion new air conditioners by 2050. While air conditioning is a common luxury in the United States, in most other countries it is not that common. As these countries become wealthier and grow in population, they will install large amounts of air conditioning. Air conditioner sales are rising in India, Brazil and Indonesia by about 15% per year. So ... 1.6 billion new air conditioners will require an additional 4.8 trillion kWhs of electricity every year ... the output of 400 new GenIII nuclear plants, 10,000 new coal plants or a million wind turbines. To combat this hot strain on the grid, commercial buildings can take advantage of thermal energy storage. In fact, they must take advantage of this strategy or we will have some major problems in the coming decades.
Thermal energy storage allows cooling to be created at night, when there is excess capacity from the utility, and stored for use the next day during peak times. During off-peak hours, cold water, or even ice, is made using this energy and stored inside some type of energy storage tank. The stored ice is then used to cool the building occupants the next day. Alternatively, the facility may run on energy storage or just the chiller depending on cooling demands or the availability of onsite renewable resources such as solar and local tariffs. This provides greater flexibility to smarter and zero energy buildings. Thermal storage systems have the ability to store renewable energy like wind, which mainly blows at night, sun during the day, etc.
Managed & Built by I2M Consulting, LLC | © 2010-
