Low Temperature Thermal Battery for Safe, Low Cost, Energy Storage

FutureBay Thermal Battery Tested and Reviewed

Electricity North West Limited Report

Electricity North West Limited commissioned a FutureBay system to evaluate its efficacy in shifting and reducing cooling loads for a small data centre. The report concluded that:

"The FutureBay hybrid Energy Storage and HVAC system has the potential to make a significant contribution to helping manage these two major issues. FutureBay stores energy and reduces air conditioning energy consumption by up to 50%. It can shift AC and heating loads from periods of peak demand to off peak demand, and also deliver electricity on demand. Effectively it has the potential to reduce demand on the network by up to 150% of an air conditioning systems load."

enwl017-closedown-report---.pdf

FutureBay Low Temp Thermal Battery for Electrical Storage

Temperature

Most thermal batteries depend on high temperatures, often ranging from hundreds to a thousand degrees Celsius, to attain satisfactory electrical round-trip storage efficiencies. Operating at such temperatures presents considerable safety, cost, and life cycle challenges.

FutureBay, however, operates at low temperatures while still achieving round-trip efficiencies (RTE) comparable to those of Li-ion batteries. The innovative intellectual property developed by FutureBay is distinct in its ability to reach this level of performance.

FutureBay Process

We employ standard refrigeration equipment, such as a heat pump, to establish a cold store slightly below water's freezing point, and solar thermal panels to generate a hot store just under water's boiling point. Typically, it would be challenging to attain an RTE similar to Li-ion batteries with this setup; however, our novel intellectual property enables us to achieve an RTE in excess of 80%.

FutureBay Benefits

The FutureBay system is inherently safe, operating without high temperatures or pressures and free from toxic or environmentally harmful materials. Its storage medium is water, which remains unconsumed.
The system's performance does not degrade over time or through numerous operating cycles, boasting a lifespan of 30 years. It offers low capital and lifecycle costs; a recent study with a major Italian energy utility revealed a levelized cost of storage (LCOS) that is half that of lithium-ion batteries.
The system does not have an expensive end of life decommissioning cost as the storage medium is water that can be repurposed.
This system is especially well-suited for warm, sunny regions and is poised to significantly address the "Duck Curve" issue in these areas.