Norton Audubon Hospital in Louisville, Kentucky freezes approximately 74,000 gallons (280,000 liters) of water each night. The hospital once covered all air conditioning with traditional systems found in most buildings in the US, but now 27 ice tanks support a network of cold water pipes, keeping the operating room safe and comfortable.
This type of thermal energy storage device, also known as ice batteries, is being added to US buildings because it can provide cold air without releasing emissions that cause global warming. These systems reduce power usage and reduce the burden on the grid. The rise in temperature and Increased electricity demand in the USIce heat energy storage offers a sustainable option to cool your buildings.
Train Technologies, which manufactures heating and cooling equipment, said demand for the technology has been growing in recent years. The company’s ice batteries are primarily used in schools, commercial facilities and government buildings. Nostromo Energy, another ice cell manufacturer, is pursuing customers of energy-intensive data centers with high cooling demand. Smaller systems are also manufactured for home use by companies such as Ice Energy.
The ice tank melts and air conditioning is possible
Ice heat energy storage technology varies by manufacturer, but each company follows a similar concept. At night, where the power from the grid is cheapest, the water is frozen to ice, and the next day melts to cool the building. Ice cools the water circulating through the pipes in the building, absorbing the heat from the room, creating a cooling effect. Air cooled by the system is pushed out of the vent.
Norton Audubon Hospital uses the Trane Ice Battery System. Train said the company’s ice batteries are often used in conjunction with traditional air conditioning, and ice cooling is used to reduce energy costs during peak demand. Traditional AC components are usually left intact or are miniaturized when adding ice batteries.
Stored ice does not require any energy to thaw, reducing the burden on the grid, minimizing the building’s electricity usage and ultimately reducing monthly fees.
“Storing energy for further use is what we aim for in the future of the grid,” said Ted Tiffany, senior technology director at Building Decarbonization Coalition. He said Access to the air conditioner This is a major public health need; global warmingIce batteries are a sustainable way to deal with the health risks associated with extreme heat.
Norton Audubon’s energy costs were $278,000 lower in the first year it started operating since the ice battery system was installed in 2018. The hospital estimates that the system and other energy-saving measures have saved nearly $4 million since 2016.
“This technology has been amazing for us,” said Anthony Matisse, executive at Norton Healthcare, who oversees sustainability. He also received inquiries from other building operators about the technology, and said he believes more facilities will adopt it as awareness grows.
Use ice to meet growing energy needs
Sustainable energy experts say ice heat energy storage is one of the options commercial buildings can use to reduce electricity demand and store excess energy. Some commercial buildings use lithium batteries, allowing them to store excess solar and wind energy that can be used intermittently.
Dustin Mulbany, an environmental science professor at San Jose State University, said ice batteries are a sensible option for medical and senior facilities. Lithium batteries are subject to fire hazards.
Manufacturers are also seeing opportunities in areas such as: Data Center,The number of AI is increasing to support artificial intelligence, and the need for energy and cooling increases. Data centers consumed more than 4% of the country’s electricity in 2023, with the number likely to rise to up to 12% by 2028, according to a December report from the Ministry of Energy.
“Datacenters are very energy-intensive and around 30% to 40% of their energy usage is used for cooling, so a solution like ours really helps,” said Yoram Ashery, CEO of Nostromo Energy.
Nostromo Energy said it is in discussions with several major companies about transactions to implement its system. Data Center OperatorHe said that, but he refused to provide further details. Its ice battery technology is also used at the Beverly Hills hotel in California.
California is now the largest market for the technology. California’s power grid uses large amounts of solar power during the day, but after sunset, it switches to sources of contaminated energy such as natural gas. Instead of powering from the grid, Ice batteries can be used for air conditioning in the evening or evening.
“Many utilities are very interested in this type of load shifting technology,” said Joe Larsch, chief operating officer of Ice Energy, another ice thermal energy storage company. He said summer is usually the most expensive time to run public works due to air conditioning needs.
“This is a very good technology that the grid really needs, as many of the future power loads will be driven by cooling,” Lars said.
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