New Concept in Energy Storage
A huge percentage of the power grid was built solely to address peak loads, and is used less than 100 hours per year. This is one of the many reasons that energy storage in any of its forms is so attractive: things like utility-scale batteries and pumped hydro plants are really competing against the levelized cost of energy associated with these peaker plants, which is extremely high.
Here’s an idea that 2GreenEnergy supporter Gary Tulie just sent me from his office in Buckinghamshire, England: The Ice Bear, a device that uses off-peak electrical power to freeze water that is in turn used to virtually eliminate the load represented by air conditioners on hot days.
Using thermal storage and off peak electricity is not new, but the British have been using this far more than we have in the US. This may be because they have also used time-of-use metering far more than we have in the US. In travels to the UK I have seen radiators that use bricks as thermal mass. The home owner saves money by turning the radiators on only at night. In the US I have not seen such a radiator. I have only seen articles referencing electric furnaces with thermal storage.
Many places in the UK do not have air conditioning. The climate is that much different than Southern California or the Southwest US. What this device does is continue to build upon the time-of-use metering available to homeowners in the UK. In the US time of use metering is more common with large scale industrial users. In the US utility customers seem to be encouraged to pay their bills and not think too much about energy. In the US people pay electricity bills. In the UK some people have to put coins in a utility box to keep their electricity operating. This will lead to a far more conscious awareness of energy and what needs to be done to save from having to put tokens in a box.
Here is an article from 2009 that discusses ice energy storage in California: http://tdworld.com/smart-grid/redding-electric-utility-reduce-peak-demand-using-ice-energy There are also companies that have used Ice energy storage to reduce their air conditioning load. http://energypriorities.com/entries/2007/01/ice_energy_peak_power.php
There is even a Wiki article on the process: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ice_storage_air_conditioning
It seems strange that time of use metering is less common here in the U.S. than in the UK. In some parts of the U.S. it has been used for electric water heaters for many decades. It has also been used for factories. It probably would not reduce the total amount of power used, but it would reduce the need to use peaking plants to meet peak loads.
It would be interesting to know WHY it has not been more widely used in the U.S.
The Ice Bear concept is not new. For a number of years there have been A/C systems which produce ice during off-peak times and use the ice for cooling during on-peak times.
It is unclear whether the system will work with all A/C systems since air conditioners are often designed to generate chilled air or chilled water at the highest temperature which will provide adequate cooling. That’s because the efficiency becomes greater as the temperature difference between the hot and cold sides is reduced. In any case, the concept is sound whether or not it will work with all existing A/C systems.