morresMarketing, 5 March 2022
The demand for sustainable ways to use energy is increasing. One of the possible options is the cost-effective reuse of industrial residual heat. A heat battery allows heat to be stored and then made available later and in another location. Brightsite is working with a consortium of partners to explore the possibilities of a salt and water-based heat battery.
Using residual heat has huge potential to remove the use of natural gas in the built environment. SABIC has long recognized the importance of the reuse of residual heat generated in processes and is both involved in and one of the instigators of the Het Groene Net heating company (see “Het Groene Net” section). Bert Bosman, a specialist in climate and energy at SABIC, says: “If you live close enough to a source of residual heat—within 10 kilometers—then that is the cheapest way to switch from using gas. Unfortunately, actual delivery of residual heat is being delayed because it takes time for the expensive infrastructure to be put in place.” The rapid roll-out of local heating systems like Het Groene Net is hampered by high investment risks, namely the required long-term supply security of a heat source and an initial customer base that is large enough. The heat battery may be a solution for the transport of residual heat and has possibilities for making local heating networks like Het Groene Net more flexible.
Olaf Adan, founder of Cellcius, researcher at TNO and professor at TU/e:
“Unlike other heat storage solutions Cellcius heat battery does not lose the stored energy. This means that it is a cost-effective way to transport heat to other places without loss, and without the need for an expensive local heating network.”