Onsite thermal energy storage for efficient and resilient air-conditioning in Indian buildings
Soumyadip Bhattacharyya1,2, Shyam Amrith3, Pamela Fennell3, Anurag Goyal1*
1: Thermal Systems Research Laboratory, Department of Mechanical Engineering, IIT Delhi, New Delhi, India;
2: Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Delhi, New Delhi, India;
3: Bartlett School Environment, Energy & Resources, University College London, London, United Kingdom
DOI: 10.62744/CATE.45273.1191-151-160
Email: agoyal@mech.iitd.ac.in
Abstract:
Thermal energy storage (TES) systems enable storing energy during off-peak hours (low demand) and release it in peak hours (high demand), improving the energy efficiency and resiliency of buildings. We present a simulation methodology to assess the performance of the TES system integrated with heating, ventilating and air- conditioning (HVAC) systems. We use a validated thermal load profile of the building in a detailed thermodynamic simulation framework to assess the feasibility of TES systems. TES coupled with HVAC systems can help improve the capabilities of building energy simulation platforms by enabling simulations of load shaving potential of TES systems and selecting the optimal material for storage. Our model can analyse the feasibility of TES for any residential or commercial building, which will help identify the most impactful categories for implementing energy storage. Our results show a load-shaving fraction of up to 38% can be achieved for a medium office building in Ahmedabad. It will help reduce the size of the vapor compression system, leading to a significant reduction in the initial capital investment and demand charges.
Keywords: thermal energy storage, building energy efficiency, load shaving, grid-interactive buildings