Reducing carbon footprint by thermal energy storage

Project Information

TEStore

Grant agreement ID: 744940

DOI

10.3030/744940

Project closed

EC signature date 30 October 2016

Start date 1 November 2016

End date 30 April 2017

Funded under

• SOCIETAL CHALLENGES - Secure, clean and efficient energy

Total cost

€ 71 429,00

EU contribution

€ 50 000,00

Coordinated by

ENERGYNEST AS
Norway

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - TEStore (Reducing carbon footprint by thermal energy storage)

Reporting period: 2016-11-01 to 2017-04-30

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

The objective of the innovation project is to demonstrate our low-cost and efficient thermal energy storage (TES) technology, and introduce the technology to the market. Similar to how electric energy is stored in a battery, in an EnergyNest storage thermal energy is stored in a state-of-the-art concrete-like storage medium which is named HEATCRETE®. Thermal energy can be stored up to temperatures of 425 °C, or more. The overall project goal has been to evaluate and determine the potential for storing energy from waste heat/power from industrial applications, or surplus or curtailed wind energy, and to return the energy as either heat (process steam), electricity or a combination of both (combined heat and power – CHP). Within the project period feasibility studies with several commercial partners have been carried out to evaluate the possibility to build a first industrial waste-heat recovery-and-storage - WHRS demonstrator.

Traditional “heat-intensive” industries such as iron and steel mills, and in some cases chemical, non-ferrous minerals and glass processing plants, have suitable waste heat conditions for EnergyNest thermal energy storage. The steel industry offers several opportunities for WHR combined with a TES. The presence of high temperature waste heat streams, cyclic processing or operations, combined with strong incentives to recover these streams, means that many potential applications for thermal energy storage can be developed. Several viable applications can be found in this industry, as thermal loads can be time-shifted internally from high temperature waste heat streams to lower-temperature processes (non-continuous batch processing), thereby displacing significant quantities of fossil-based fuel consumption used.

To fully utilize such effects, Tata Steel is now commencing the implementation of an EnergyNest Thermal Energy Storage (TES) demo project as a ‘lighthouse initiative’. The IJmuiden demo will utilize exhaust gas energy from steel production to cover own energy demands in the facility – resulting in reduced natural gas consumption and CO2 emissions.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

The initial intention of EnergyNest was to perform a feasibility study of thermal energy storage (TES) in combination with 1) industrial waste heat recovery (WHR), and 2) electricity in the context of high penetration of wind energy in the power grid.

At this stage, the business case for electricity in the context of high penetration of wind energy still needs more careful calculations of value streams to prove economics, and the potential roll-out to other European markets in the near future.

Since waste heat represents a large and underutilized potential in Europe, and the fact that adding a TES may make a large number of potential use cases both technically and economically viable, deployment efforts were focused on this type of application. WHR results in increased energy efficiency, reduced dependence on fossil fuels (mainly natural gas) and reduced emissions of CO2 and other combustion by-products.

The steel industry offers several opportunities for WHR with TES. The presence of high-temperature waste heat streams, and the fact that strong incentives exist to recover these streams, means that many potential applications for thermal energy storage can be developed. In addition to heat wasted in exhaust gases from furnaces, other types of waste heat recovery opportunities are possible, such as recovery on hot solid products as hot steel is transported under different forms all along the process, enabling waste heat recovery through thermal radiation.

The conclusion of the study is that the innovative concept has the potential to be developed to the level of investment readiness/market maturity, but may require additional funding in view of commercialization. The study shows that TES applications within metallic industry to be the most attractive business area, mostly driven by the large energy potentials released to the atmosphere through intermittent high temperature exhaust gases. Implicit economic benefits of this waste heat remain untapped. Finding an effective way to recover and reuse this energy will not only yield attractive economic returns, but also significant CO2 emission reductions.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

The impact of incorporating a thermal energy storage into a Steel mill in Europe became visible as a result of the study, where Tata Steel is now commencing the implementation of an EnergyNest Thermal Energy Storage (TES) demo project as a ‘lighthouse initiative’. The Tata steel IJmuiden facility, located in the Netherlands, aims to utilize exhaust gas energy from steel production to cover own energy demands in the facility – resulting in reduced natural gas consumption and CO2 emissions.
 
“The steel industry has already undertaken huge efforts to reduce emissions, and to go any further simply requires new technologies. This demo installation is just a first step for Tata’s IJmuiden plant. We are proud to be yet again the global leader for implementing environmentally friendly solutions with a strong business case.” says Gerard Jägers, Program Manager Energy Efficiency. A joint assessment of effects for a full-scale implementation of the EnergyNest throughout the IJmuiden facility shows impressive results: a 500 MWh TES can yield annual savings of 2.3 million GJ of natural gas (65 million Nm3) and 130.000 tons of emitted CO2. Such reduction would compensate for annual CO2 emissions of 90.000 cars.

Picture of Tata Steel plant IJmuiden

Illustration of large-scale EnergyNest TES