Heat pumps are becoming increasingly common in private homes. But storing the heat they produce has not been possible – until now. SINTEF and Swiss company COWA Thermal Solutions researchers are collaborating on the solution.
“Think of it as a thermal battery, which stores the heat from the heat pump and can be used later. In practice, this means that people get more energy out of the stored heat. It becomes easier and more comfortable to use, and the energy is also used in a smarter way,” says Galina Simonsen, a senior research scientist at SINTEF.
Simonsen is a member of the team that has developed the new thermal batteries.
“The batteries have high efficiency, and they charge and deliver heat quickly, making it easier to meet the need. Like when several people are taking showers one after the other, for example, or you need hot water early on a cold morning,” says Simonsen.
The solution will also benefit your wallet because it makes it possible to store excess heat when electricity is cheap or produced in an environmentally friendly way, and can be used when the need for more heat arises.
Properties lie in salt hydrates
Heat pumps extract energy from the environment – air, soil or water – and transport the heat into the home.
However, in households and other buildings, the heat demand varies, depending on usage patterns, time of day, outdoor temperature and weather conditions. The researchers on this project have worked to meet these fluctuations in a smarter way.
“A heat pump that runs constantly is expensive, energy-consuming and can lead to overloading the power grid. With the new batteries, heat pumps combine storage and smart distribution of heat,” says Simonsen.
First out with a solution for private individuals
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