Frequently Asked Questions

The Leading Cold Thermal Energy Storage(CTES) and Thermal Battery Technology for Sustainable Industrial Cooling Solutions. Streamline Your Business’s Operational Efficiency, Drastically Cut Costs, and Significantly Reduce Carbon Emissions with Cutting-Edge Technology.

Frequently Asked Questions

What temperature chilled water systems can EnergiVault support?

EnergiVault can support chilled water system temperatures above zero degrees, typical chilled water temperatures are +6°C to +12°C, but temperatures up to +20°C are possible.

I have a need for 5MWh of storage but need to charge over less than 10 hours, is this possible?

Yes, the EnergiVault system has been designed to be modular, with the energy storage demand determining the number of thermal batteries required and the duration for charging determining the number of thermal battery chargers. For example, a 5MWh daily storage system which charges in 12 hours would comprise:

5 x 1MWh thermal batteries
7 x 60kW thermal battery chargers

What payback could I expect?

This depends on your application, the duty cycle of your chillers, annual chiller electricity demand and whether chillers operate throughout the year. Typically a 3-4 year payback is achievable for a well-matched system.

How much space does a typical EnergiVault system take up?

The charger footprint is that of a 12 ft ISO container, c. 2.5m wide and 3.6m long and the 1MWh thermal battery module is that of a 20ft ISO container c.6m long.

Can the charger be installed in a boiler room with other chillers?

Yes, provided suitable ammonia alarms are installed.

Can the EnergiVault system be used with frozen goods storage, i.e. storing goods at -18°C?

The EnergiVault system has been developed to support chilled water systems above zero degrees. EnergiVault is at its most efficient and cost-effective when the storage temperature is -3°C. To support a cold store at -18°C would require a redesigned charger capable of a thermal battery temperature of -23°C—at this temperature not the most efficient application.

How does the EnergiVault system help reduce may carbon footprint?

A typical application of an EnergiVault system is load shifting, charging the thermal battery overnight and releasing at peak daytime tariffs and non-commodity costs such as DUOS. Carbon intensity of the grid is often 50% lower overnight, particularly during the winter, spring and autumn when marginal gas generation is used. Load shifting reduces CO2 emissions.

Integration of EnergiVault with on-site solar PV generation allows shifting of chiller electrical demand from grid power to EnergiVault. If the solar PV would otherwise be exported to the grid then EnergiVault enables maximising the on-site utilisation.

EnergiVault could be a standalone PV powered device thereby every kWh of cooling provided by EnergiVault avoids the kWh provided by the grid powered chiller.

Other ways in which EnergiVault can reduce CO2 emissions are:

Absorbing excess renewable energy from the grid and being paid for it!
Replacing short cycling of chillers during periods of low cooling demand with EnergiVault avoids poor efficiency chiller operation and associated higher electricity demand and associated CO2
Avoiding diesel or gas genset operation when grid constraints require supplementary power. EnergiVault can reduce chiller load at peak times. When the peak power is delivered by a diesel genset, the carbon intensity is between 1250g/kWh and 2,000 g/kWh. If 25% of an EnergiVaults operation offset such gensets, it would save more than 40 tonnes CO2 per year.
Recovering heat from the EnergiVault thermal battery charger - this avoids burning gas to produce heat from an industrial boiler – savings from heat recovery p.a. are in the order of 50-60 tonnes CO2 p.a. Worth noting this is not an EnergiVault specific benefit, heat recovery could be done from many chillers.

Can the EnergiVault refrigeration charger be installed without the use of a cooling tower?

Yes, the charger refrigeration module can be used with an air-cooled condenser if required, however, they are less efficient than a cooling tower.

What information do you need to size an Energivault system for my application?

In the first place we would need to know the total annual electricity demand and the proportion of which is your chillers. If this is large enough then we would ask for an energy bill, 12 month half hourly electricity meter data and ideally similar 12 month chiller demand data from chiller BMS.

What sort of servicing is required?

The EnergiVault system requires an annual service by qualified refrigeration technicians. This would typically 2 persons for 1 day.

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