Field trials are expected to begin shortly for a high-temperature thermal-storage demonstrator built by AED Energy (London, U.K.; www.aedenergy.com). The field trials follow the successful completion of a test program of the demonstrator at AED’s London facility. The test program, the completion of which was announced in December, included completion of initial cycling and full controls integration, the company says.
For the field deployment, the thermal-storage demonstrator has been shipped to Pan Atlantic University (PAU; Lagos, Nigeria; www.pau.edu.ng), where it will validate the performance, controllability and durability required for full certification of the company’s upcoming 10-MWh-scale thermal-energy storage platform. Full 800°C cycling and field-mode operation will be commissioned on site. The project is funded under an Innovate UK grant, and involves a collaboration with PAU and the ZE Gen initiative.
Source: AED Energy
AED Energy’s thermal-energy storage system uses low-cost, abundant materials and proprietary technology for heat-to-power conversion across a range of applications, including grid-scale energy storage, industrial heating, integration of renewable energy and combined heat and power (CHP).
Built on AED Energy’s ultra-low-cost salt-based storage materials, the demonstrator provides long-duration performance and a cost-competitive alternative to fossil fuels and conventional batteries. The core material costs are below $5/kWh, AED says.
Oliver Weber, AED’s chief technology officer, said: “The London testing confirmed the foundations of the technology, including thermal behavior, material stability and full controls integration. The Nigeria field trial now allows us to observe the system at its target operating temperature, under real demand conditions, and with TPV [thermophotovoltaic] integration. The insights from this phase directly inform the engineering of our multi-MWh configurations.”
The system will support renewable electricity and low-carbon heat on the PAU campus and will be one of the first TPV-integrated thermal-storage demonstrators operated in real-world environmental conditions in Africa.