Storage, part of most natural & man-made systems, is also useful for electric grids & microgrids, but is a technical and economic challenge. Storage becomes more important with increased use of intermittent renewable power. The pros & cons of various storage technologies are compared, showing that large-scale Thermal Energy Storage (TES) is attractive for multi-hour storage. An actual District Energy example illustrates the economics of batteries versus Chilled Water (CHW) TES. CHW TES is often the low capital cost option for multi-hour storage, but also for added CHW capacity. TES also enhances the economics of complementary technologies such as CHP and renewable cooling.
John Andrepont, The Cool Solutions Company