Giant Thermos
Introduction
This new technology takes excess energy from renewables such as solar or wind, and heats water. The giant mass of water, contained in thermal insulation maintains a high temperature even after the sun sets or wind dies down. The water can then be used by the surrounding community to provide emissions-free hot water for homes and businesses, instead of using gas other other water heaters.
Benefits
District Heating
Heat storage facilities like these may be a crucial part of district heating as adoption increases.
"District heating (also known as heat networks or teleheating) is a system for distributing heat generated in a centralized location through a system of insulated pipes for residential and commercial heating requirements such as space heating and water heating. The heat is often obtained from a cogeneration plant burning fossil fuels or biomass, but heat-only boiler stations, geothermal heating, heat pumps and central solar heating are also used, as well as heat waste from factories and nuclear power electricity generation. District heating plants can provide higher efficiencies and better pollution control than localized boilers. According to some research, district heating with combined heat and power (CHPDH) is the cheapest method of cutting carbon emissions, and has one of the lowest carbon footprints of all fossil generation plants.[1]
District heating is ranked number 27 in Project Drawdown's 100 solutions to global warming.[2][3]" - Wikipedia: District Heating
Thermal Capacity
The new Berlin Thermos is expected to have a 200 megawatts thermal capacity. - Interesting Engineering: Steel Thermos Tower Berlin Heat Storage Facility
Insulation Duration & Service Capacity
"The tank can keep water insulated for up to 13 hours and can meet most of Berlin's hot water needs during the summer. During winter, though, it will meet roughly 10 percent of Berlin's hot water requirements." - Interesting Engineering: Steel Thermos Tower Berlin Heat Storage Facility
Energy Storage
Due to the fluctuations of most fossil and sustainable energy, energy storage is a critical part of energy security and a sustainable shift. This type of storage will help support solar and wind energy production when the produce less.
Existing Examples
Europe
Finland
"Finnish utility Helen finished a similar project in 2021 on the island of Mustikkamaa near Helsinki with a capacity to store 11.5 GWh of energy.
Another, much larger project by Vantaa Energy is also planned for construction north of Helsinki, where the planned facility of 1,000,000 cubic meters will be able store 90 GWh of thermal energy using superheated water, according to the company." - Remaking an Old Swedish Oil Depot into a Giant Underground 'Thermos'
Germany
"The tower, located on an industrial site near the banks of Berlin's Spree River, will provide heat to homes using a similar method to thermos flasks. It's roughly 150 feet (45 meters) tall and holds 14.8 million gallons (56 million liters) of hot water.
The new facility was unveiled this week, Thursday, June 30, at Vattenfall's Reuter power station. It will be Europe's largest heat storage facility once it's completed at the end of the year. It's worth noting that a bigger version is already planned for construction in the Netherlands." - Interesting Engineering: Steel Thermos Tower Berlin Heat Storage Facility
Netherlands
Sweden
"Originally dug out in the early 1970s, the three caverns with a combined volume of 300,000 cubic meters served as an oil storage until the site was abandoned in 1985.
"We are now converting it into a giant thermos to store hot water in," explained project manager Rickard Svensson at power and district heating company Malarenergi in the city of Vasteras.
The site will "store energy, which we sometimes have an excess of, and ... use that at times when there is a shortage," he said.
The caverns are close to Malarenergi's combined heat and power plant, which supplies electricity and especially heat via district heating, to Vasteras' 130,000 or so inhabitants.
Hundreds of meters of pipes are being installed along with massive heat exchangers, so excess heat can heat up the water stored within and then be used to transport heat out when needed.
In another area, workers are fitting hundreds of steel bars to make a thick reinforced concrete wall which will serve as a plug for the cavern.
Once the remodeling is completed, the entire cave system will be flooded and sealed for good."
"The volume is roughly the equivalent of 6,000 backyard pools and can provide approximately 13 gigawatt hours (GWh), according to Malarenergi."
...
"In a climate where temperatures can range from minus 20 degrees Celsius (minus 4 Fahrenheit) in winter to plus 30 degrees (86 F) in summer, the "thermos" would be able to provide heat for "up to a week" on cold days and "around two weeks" in summer. " - Remaking an Old Swedish Oil Depot into a Giant Underground 'Thermos'
Companies
Europe
Sweden
Mälarenergi "We are 100 percent owned by the city of Västerås. We provide you with everything you need; electricity contracts, electricity grids, water and wastewater, district heating, district cooling and fiber. But we also offer consulting services, energy optimization and electric car charging."
Vattenfall "We're all trapped in a system that's addicted to fossil fuels. At Vattenfall we're helping society break free from this dependency. We're committed to building a future where everyone can choose fossil free ways to move, make and live. We call it fossil freedom."
Grants & Funding
North America
USA
The Climate Pollution Reduction Grants (CPRG) Program "provides $5 billion in grants to states, local governments, tribes, and territories to develop and implement ambitious plans for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and other harmful air pollution. Authorized under Section 60114 of the Inflation Reduction Act, this two-phase program provides $250 million for noncompetitive planning grants, and approximately $4.6 billion for competitive implementation grants."