PV systems are becoming increasingly popular, but one of the biggest challenges is energy storage, as in most cases the supplier does not buy back the generated excess electricity. Typically, the excess electricity is not generated, but with proper storage we do not have to give up this electricity either. The most popular storage technology is electric batteries, which typically contain toxic, polluting materials or rare earth metals.
In contrast, with the Intelligent Thermal Battery, energy is stored and recovered in the form of thermal energy in an environmentally friendly way.
When we look at such a system or such a cooperation, we distinguish two main cases.
In the first case, the peak power of the installed solar system is less than the total electrical power demand of the building. In this case, the PV system has no surplus production, so no more electricity can be used through storage. The exception is at weekends when the building may be less used and storage is needed.
The diagram shows such a day when the solar panel output is lower than the demand of the building.
In the second case, the solar panel's production is higher than the demand several times during the year, and the inverter must be switched off, which means that a part of the electricity which could produce is not produced by the solar system due to lack of use.
By charging the Intelligent Thermal Battery, we can increase the electricity consumption of the building (liquid chiller or heat pump) and use the electricity that would otherwise not be produced to meet part of the cooling or heating demand during the period when the sun is not shining and the PV system is not producing enough electricity.
Combining systems in this way not only improves the return on investment of the Thermal Battery, but also has a positive impact on the return on investment of the PV system, because the amount of electricity that can be generated can be increased.