450kW/400kWh! Brenmiller Energy Deploys Thermal Energy Storage Demonstration Project at SUNY
Thermal energy storage developer Brenmiller Energy has completed commissioning a bGen thermal storage-based cogeneration power plant at the State University of New York (SUNY) at Purchase, according to foreign media reports. It is expected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by about 550 tons per year.
Brenmiller Energy's thermal energy storage demonstration project deployed at SUNY Purchase uses crushed rock to store energy from renewable sources or the grid.
The project was developed by Brenmiller Energy in conjunction with the New York Power Authority, and was funded in part by grants from Israel and the U.S. Industrial Research and Development Foundation.Brenmiller Energy plans to hand over the thermal energy storage system to the university after training in mid-January of next year.
The company's thermal energy storage system essentially uses heated gravel to store energy from a renewable energy generating facility or the grid, said Gideon Sharir, Brenmiller Energy's managing director, in an interview with industry media. This thermal energy storage system raises the temperature of the crushed stone to 1,200 degrees Fahrenheit (648.9 degrees Celsius) via an internal heater and stores its energy until it's ready to be discharged on-demand in the form of clean steam, hot water or air.
The thermal energy storage system deployed at SUNY is part of a cogeneration system. The project stores energy through waste heat emitted by embedded electric heaters and microturbines and discharges it to SUNY's Purchase Recreation Center, one of the most energy-intensive buildings on its campus.
Sharir said the project, which uses waste gas and electricity to "recharge," can demonstrate the capabilities of thermal energy storage technology, including its ability to recharge and recover heat. It differs from other energy storage projects being prepared and developed by Brenmiller Energy, which use only renewable energy or grid power for charging. As a demonstration project, the thermal energy storage system in the SUNY system is relatively small, at 450kW/400kWh, compared to other energy storage projects developed by Brenmiller Energy, which typically have storage capacities of 10MWh to 100MWh.
Avi Brenmiller, chairman and CEO of Brenmiller, said that handing over the project was a huge milestone for the company.
Brenmiller said, "Once proven through this project, it could lead to wider adoption of our thermal energy storage systems in New York and across the United States."
Sharir said thermal energy storage systems can play an important role in the clean energy transition. Industrial heating demand accounts for about 12 percent of total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. Industrial manufacturers are increasingly looking to thermal storage systems as a decarbonization solution because of their ability to reach extremely high temperatures, their competitive cost of power generation compared to natural generation, and their proven reliability.
Sharir added, "As the technology continues to evolve, the thermal energy storage market is expected to generate trillions of dollars by 2040."
However, thermal energy storage technologies do face a number of challenges in scaling up, including complex and outdated grid policies and supply frameworks. On the one hand, he noted, market structures must be updated to take advantage of the benefits of thermal energy storage and reduce the strain on grid operations. On the other hand, regulators must allow thermal energy storage systems to participate in wholesale markets and receive spot prices.
Sharir said, "Overcoming these two barriers will ensure that thermal energy storage systems can provide flexibility to the grid and cost-effectively decarbonize industry."
