Thermal energy storage (TES) offers unique advantages for grid resilience compared to other energy storage technologies, particularly in flexibility, efficiency, and integration with industrial demand. Here’s how it compares:
Flexibility and Demand Response
TES systems can store heat for days and convert it back to electricity or direct heat on demand, allowing them to absorb excess renewable energy (e.g., wind power at night) and discharge it during peak demand. Unlike lithium-ion batteries, which typically provide short-duration storage, TES can shift energy use across multiple days, reducing strain on the grid during prolonged demand spikes or supply shortages.
Stabilizing Grid Frequency
TES units like Electrical Thermal Energy Storage (ETES) can instantaneously absorb power to stabilize grid frequency, matching the rapid response of flywheels or supercapacitors but with longer storage durations. This makes TES a hybrid solution for both short-term grid balancing and sustained energy supply.
Cost and Infrastructure Benefits
Compared to lithium-ion or pumped hydro, TES reduces reliance on electrical infrastructure upgrades by integrating with industrial processes and buildings. For example, TES-ready heat pumps can cut peak electric heating demand by threefold by leveraging stored thermal energy, lowering grid stress during extreme weather. TES also avoids transmission losses by storing energy as heat directly at industrial sites, unlike electricity-focused storage.
Grid Resilience Advantages Over Other Technologies
- Lithium-ion batteries: Provide fast response but lack duration (4–8 hours) and degrade over time. TES lasts longer and handles multiday disruptions.
- Pumped hydro: Geographically limited and slow to deploy. TES is modular and scalable, suitable for urban and industrial settings.
- Hydrogen storage: Still emerging and energy-inefficient. TES uses mature technology with higher round-trip efficiency for heat applications.
By decoupling energy production from demand, TES enhances grid resilience through load shifting, waste heat utilization, and industrial decarbonization, making it a critical tool for managing renewable variability and rising electricity demand.
Original article by NenPower, If reposted, please credit the source: https://nenpower.com/blog/how-does-thermal-energy-storage-compare-to-other-forms-of-energy-storage-in-terms-of-grid-resilience/
