Storage Highlights Countdown #5; Thermoelectric energy storage – MAN Energy Solutions

This week we are back with our Storage Highlights Countdown, in the run-up to Energy Storage Europe Düsseldorf, on March 12-14. Messe Düsseldorf has partnered with pv magazine to produce a special publication for the event. As part of the project, we tasked an independent jury of experts to rank a range of Energy Storage Highlights that will be exhibited at the event.

The full ranking will appear in the Energy Storage special issue. We kicked off with a self-sufficient multi-family home in Switzerland and also presented DNV GL’s approach to a battery performance scorecard, last week.

Now we continue with…

#5 MAN Energy Solutions 

Thermoelectric storage

Energy storage systems are no longer a novelty, and neither are facilities powered by electricity for heating and cooling. If a device can do both at the same time, however, and also convert thermal energy back into electricity as the Electro-Thermal Energy Storage system (ETES) can, things become a little more interesting.“With this approach, we are breaking down the existing silo mentality,” says Roberto Rubichi, communications and marketing manager at MAN Energy Solutions.

Electricity, heat, and cooling are no longer treated separately but become part of an overarching energy management system. In the process, ETES functions as a bridge between the electricity supply, and heating and cooling supply markets.

Stored cooling and heat from ETES can be distributed to different types of consumer. For instance, heat can be transferred to district heating, the food processing industry and laundry facilities. Applications for cooling, meanwhile, include data centers, ice hockey or skating arenas and air conditioning for skyscrapers.

The electricity used in such instances would offer a peak shaving service. The ETES solution could also be interesting for offtakers requiring large amounts of heating, cooling and electricity, such as data centers. MAN Energy Solutions is marketing ETES and pursuing leads for a pilot plant. The majority of the facilities available so far have a power output of 15 MW and thermal storage capacity of between 10 MWh and more than
1 GWh. Heat can be dissipated between at 40-120 degrees Celsius, while cooling can be dissipated between 0 and 10 degrees.

Jury comments

Florian Mayr: “Breaking the silo mentality of the power, transport, and heat sectors is highly relevant for industry and the energy transition. Furthermore, the concept contains various relevant technological innovations.”

Julian Jansen: “The MAN solution cuts across traditional industry boundaries and enables effective sector coupling by combining heat, cold and electricity storage.”

MAN Energy Solutions can be found at Energy Storage Europe Düsseldorf in Hall 08B at booth 8D39.

The jury

Xavier Daval
Daval is an international solar and storage expert as well as CEO of French solar technical advisory firm kiloWattsol SAS, which he founded in 2007. He is an electrical engineer and former director for the EMEA region for an NYSE-listed manufacturer of tools for the electronics industry. He is also VP of French renewable energy association Syndicat des Energies Renouvelables, chair of its solar commission and director of the Global Solar Council.

Logan Goldie-Scot

Goldie-Scot heads the energy storage insight team at BloombergNEF. He leads the company’s analysis on the global energy storage markets, providing insights on technology, markets, policies and regulation, as well as the competitive landscape. He also oversees the company’s analysis of supply chains.

Rolf Heynen
Heynen is director of Good! New Energy. Good! is known for the annual Dutch Solar Trend Report – also published in English – the Solar Quarterly, the Solar Solutions international trade fair and the Solar Business Day conference. Good! is also active in renewable heating, smart lighting and buildings, energy storage, consulting, energy modeling and market research. Heynen holds degrees in electrical engineering and political science.

Mark Higgins
Higgins is chief operating officer of Strategen, a professional services firm focused on market development for a decarbonized grid. His broad energy sector experience before Strategen included serving as director of utility west at SunEdison, VP of finance for Hu Honua Bioenergy, and as Pacific Gas & Electric’s lead in key policy areas including interconnection and transmission planning.

Julian Jansen
Jansen is a research manager at IHS Markit Technology. He leads the group’s global research on stationary energy storage and provides insight on the key value drivers and emerging business models accelerating storage deployment across Europe and North America. Jansen also delivers strategic advice for bespoke projects featuring new energy technologies.

Florian Mayr
Mayr is a partner at Apricum and head of its energy storage, digital energy and green mobility practices. He is an expert in strategy, business development and transaction advisory in global renewable energy markets. Mayr advises cleantech companies on corporate and project financing. Before Apricum, he spent eight years in senior positions at McKinsey & Company and RWE.