Cogeneration plus thermal energy storage can cut peak power costs

Journal Article · · Cogeneration and Competitive Power Journal; (United States)

OSTI ID:7022032

Somasundaram, S; Drost, M K; Brown, D R; Antoniak, Z I ^[1]

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1. Pacific Northwest Lab., Richland, WA (United States)

Cogeneration is playing an increasingly important role in providing an independent and on-site high-efficiency source of power generation and thermal energy for space heating and cooling, as well as industrial process heat applications. However, the range of applications of cogeneration technology could be further extended if the generation of electricity could be decoupled from the generation of thermal energy for process use or space conditioning. A recent comprehensive analysis of Battelle's Pacific Northwest Laboratory shows that the technology of thermal energy storage (TES) provides just such a decoupling that allows for the production of dispatchable power while fully utilizing the thermal energy available from the prime mover of the cogeneration system. The thermal energy from the prime mover exhaust can be stored either as sensible heat or as latent heat and used during peak demand periods to produced electric power or process steam/hot water. However, the additional materials and equipment necessary for a TES system will add to the capital as well as maintenance costs. Therefore, the economic benefits of adding TES to a conventional cogeneration system would have to outweigh the increased costs of the combined system. A conventional cogeneration system and a cogeneration plant combined with the oil/rock TES system have lower levelized costs of producing steam compared to the conventional boiler plant operation as long as the selling price off electricity remains above $0.06/kWh. The breakeven price for the sale of electricity (at which the steam costs are the same for the three plant options) is in the range of $0.035/kWh for the conventional cogeneration case to about $0.045 to 0.06/kWh for the combined system using oil/rock TES.

• OSTI ID: 7022032
• Journal Information: Cogeneration and Competitive Power Journal; (United States), Vol. 9:2; ISSN 1066-8683
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATION
25 ENERGY STORAGE
DUAL-PURPOSE POWER PLANTS
EFFICIENCY
HEAT STORAGE
THERMAL ENERGY STORAGE EQUIPMENT
ECONOMICS
COLD STORAGE
COST BENEFIT ANALYSIS
DESIGN
SIZING
STEAM GENERATORS
TECHNOLOGY ASSESSMENT
BOILERS
ECONOMIC ANALYSIS
ENERGY STORAGE
EQUIPMENT
POWER PLANTS
STORAGE
VAPOR GENERATORS
320304* - Energy Conservation
Consumption
& Utilization- Industrial & Agricultural Processes- Waste Heat Recovery & Utilization
250600 - Energy Storage- Thermal