Thermal Energy Storage for Cooling of Commercial Buildings

Abstract

Cool storage technology has been first applied more than a half century ago. However, widespread use of the technology has been limited because of the increased efficiency and reliability of conventional cooling systems and the decreasing cost of producing electricity. As fossil fuel resources become increasingly less available and more expensive, many energy conservation strategies become more viable. (Although nuclear power plants are available for electricity production, their future, at this time, is uncertain due to higher risks involved during nuclear reactor accidents, as demonstrated by the most recent accident in Cheronobyl, USSR, 1986.) Even though energy conservation is highly publicized and studied, peak load energy conservation is not addressed until recently [1–3]. Peak demand is important because utilities are faced to either invest in new generation capacity or purchase electricity from neighboring utilities or even from neighboring countries to accommodate expected increases in peak demand. Peak load energy is also more expensive to generate owing to the use of older and less efficient generators which use more expensive fuels (e.g., oil or gas).