The Best of Both Worlds: Combined Thermal and Battery Storage for Widespread Building Decarbonization

Sven Mumme, Wyatt Merrill, Bandana Kar, Jason Woods

Research output: Contribution to conferencePaper

Abstract

To meet 2050 decarbonization targets, widespread building electrification is a critical complement to clean power generation. Behind-the-meter storage (BTMS) (e.g., battery electric energy storage [EES] and thermal energy storage [TES]) integrated with buildings or building end uses to store and supply energy at optimal times can minimize burdens associated with operation, planning, and upgrades to the electrical grid sometimes triggered by building electrification. Such BTMS systems can serve the dual purpose of providing enhanced resilience at the building and grid level, and support the deployment of renewable generation needed for wide-scale decarbonization. While TES can cost-effectively shed and shift thermal loads, it cannot generally backup or shift non-thermal building end uses. EES, by contrast, is more expensive, but applicable to all end uses (i.e., thermal and electrical loads). Combined together, these storage systems can be traded off against one another to perform optimally in meeting demand flexibility, decarbonization goals, and energy resilience of the buildings at a lower total system cost. This paper proposes a framework to define BTMS benefits, provides four illustrative electrification scenarios using TES and EES, and discusses the combined TES/EES benefits with building energy modeling results. The paper also highlights potential barriers to adoption of BTMS and a path forward.
Original languageAmerican English
Number of pages18
StatePublished - 2024
EventACEEE Summer Study on Energy Efficiency in Buildings - Pacific Grove, CA
Duration: 5 Aug 20249 Aug 2024

Conference

ConferenceACEEE Summer Study on Energy Efficiency in Buildings
CityPacific Grove, CA
Period5/08/249/08/24

NREL Publication Number

  • NREL/CP-5500-89270

Keywords

  • buildings
  • electrification
  • energy storage

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