rtcc respond Fig. 1: Concept of thermal energy storage (TES)
name a few. Molten salt is currently used to store thermal energy in CSP plants. NEST’s solution can substitute molten salt for a wide range of applications, and also enable CSP to be utilized within a wider range of applications where lack of suitable TES has been a significant hurdle.
Wind and other renewable energy sources TES can also be used to store surplus energy from wind or other renewable energy sources. Surplus electricity that otherwise would have been dumped due to low demand, can be converted to heat and stored in the NEST TES system. Later when demand dictates it, this heat can be re-converted to electricity. Although conversion loss will be substantial, it is in the same range as CAES and better than hydrogen. Moreover, the electricity used to charge the “thermal battery” would otherwise be lost and is thus principally without cost.
Potential for the future In the next two decades renewable energy is expected to represent 50% of all new power generation installations, and 60% of new investments into power generation systems. “Moderate” predictions show that renewable electricity could constitute shares of 50-80% of the overall electricity supply mix by 2050. The future growth of renewable energy is contingent on incorporating efficient and cost-effective energy storage on a grand scale. New Energy Storage Technology (NEST AS) www.energy-nest.com
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