Thermal Energy Storage

Thermal Energy Storage

Thermal Energy Storage (TES) is an Energy Management Technology that has the capability to shift and reduce peak energy demand for Air-Conditioning system without affecting the comfort levels within the building. Thermal energy is stored/charged using the refrigeration equipment during low energy demand hours (Off-Peak periods), and is discharge for usage during high energy demand hours (On-Peak periods). With thermal storage, energy costs are reduced in two ways:

  1. By using less energy during high cost on-peak periods.
  2. By reducing on-peak energy demand and avoiding high demand charges imposed by utilities. Lower off-peak energy costs and lower demand charge result in significant savings as compared to conventional non-storage systems.

Thermal Energy Storage can be classified into sensible energy storage technology or latent energy storage technology. Ice storage is a form of latent storage in which energy is stored when water turns into ice. Chilled water storage is a form of sensible energy storage which stores energy through changes in media temperature without any phase change. Please refer to the links below for more information on ice storage and chilled water storage technology.