Three top markets for thermal energy storage
July 31, 2015
There is 1 GW of distributed thermal energy storage around the world. In fact, CALMAC's ice storage solution has already been utilized by over 4,000 businesses and institutions. Military bases, universities, school districts, offices, malls, golf courses, theaters, hotels, places of worship, banks, terminals, libraries, wineries, airports, museums, zoos, retirement facilities and more all benefit from ice storage. IceBank energy storage tanks find their way into all of these commercial building types despite the fact that each building has different cooling load profiles and space and operational needs.
Ice storage allows facilities to make and store ice at night, when electricity is significantly cheaper. During the day the ice can be used to cool the buildings. Schools, office buildings and military facilities have been the prime benefactors of the long term energy cost savings that comes from cooling with ice.
1. Budget-conscious school districts chase cost reductions
A recent study published by the education advocacy group The Education Trust noted that access to funding between school districts varies wildly, often even within the same state. This disparity has motivated administrations across the country to look for ways to permanently reduce their monthly expenses. For multiple districts across the country, the opportunity to dramatically reduce cooling costs has made thermal storage an obvious choice.
ACHR News reported that the St. Lucie County School District in Florida invested in CALMAC's IceBank® technology with promising results. The first school equipped with the thermal energy storage solution saw more than 50 percent reduction in annual energy costs. The district has since moved forward on its plans to upgrade a total of 13 schools.
Thermal energy storage is especially valuable to school districts that have already invested in renewable energy. For example, the Alamo Heights Independent School District made use of CALMAC's IceBank® technology as a means of supplementing their existing solar panels, according to Energy Manager Today. The installation of energy storage has allowed the school to maximize renewable generation and reduce peak energy use by over 20 percent.
2. Military clients value reliability and control
The energy needs of a military base along with the logistical and operational needs of the armed forces can be far more demanding than other facility types. Flexibility and reliability are necessary and a matter of national security. Air conditioning systems must be ready to keep up with a base's rapidly changing missions and round the clock cooling needs.
According to Reuters, the energy storage tanks installed at the McConnell Air Force Base were designed with multiple operation modes. These flexible settings were included so that the Kansas Air National Guard can adjust cooling and storage behavior on the fly.
3. Urban high rises secure space in basements
Space in urban areas such as New York City comes at a premium but with the costs of electricity so high, more building managers are finding room for energy storage, typically in basements. For example, below the trading floors of Goldman Sachs Group Inc. Manhattan headquarters are 92 tanks with enough ice for 3.4 million margaritas. Credit Suisse, a leading global investment banking and financial services firm, was recognized by New York State and City officials for installing ice storage based air-conditioning underground.
Thermal energy storage is also cooling Rockefeller Center all year round. And recently, the AIA Top 10 project, The New School invested in thermal storage to "minimize the university's impact on the strained New York power grid", according to the project team.
