Energy Storage Solutions

Energy storage captures energy for later use, balancing building thermal loads building thermal loads and imbalances of utility grid electrical demand and production.

Energy storage comes in many forms including, i.e. chemical energy for electrical energy storage systems (BESS), mechanical gravitational energy for pumped hydro and thermal energy for cooling and heating buildings or processes.

Utility-scale energy storage may be utilized on the grid to support grid level functions. Distributed energy storage supports local building energy management.

Thermal energy storage (TES) is the most common type of energy storage utilized in commercial buildings. Thermal energy storage comes in the form of geothermal systems, chilled water systems, ice storage systems and storage-source heat pump systems.

An energy storage system (ESS) is a group of components that’s sole purpose is to capture energy stored at one time to use at another time, for a useful purpose such as lighting, heating and cooling.

ESS includes a mechanism or device to transfer energy and may also convert energy, an energy storage component and control system.

In commercial HVAC, an energy storage system may include electric chillers, thermal energy storage tanks, or batteries, which are enabled by a building automation system.

Similar to food in the cupboard or body fat, energy is stored until it’s needed.

First, energy is transferred from one place to another (e.g. heat inside a building transfers to an energy storage medium). In some cases, e.g. batteries, energy is converted from one form to another. (i.e. electricity to chemical).

Next, the energy is stored in the medium (i.e. batteries, water, earth).

Control systems intelligently manage when and how much energy is captured, transferred and released.

In commercial building energy storage systems, Thermal Energy Storage (TES) stores thermal energy in the form that the energy will be used in, for cooling or heating. There are many forms of TES systems including thermal energy storage systems that utilize ice or chilled water as a medium and geothermal which captures energy from the earth. Both store and discharge large amounts of energy over short to long durations (typically 2 to 8 hours). Both systems work in tandem with heat pumps or chillers to transfer energy.

In comparison, Electrical Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) store chemical energy and are well suited to provide fast discharge for electric equipment, e.g. lights, elevators, escalators and computers.

Together, BESS and TES are complete commercial energy storage solutions.