Monday, 25 September 2023
New energy storage technology, which could significantly reduce household bills and help the UK achieve net zero, has been installed at the University of Nottingham’s Creative Energy Homes.
The installation is the latest step for the Advanced Distributed Storage for Grid Benefit Project (ADSorB) – a consortium led by researchers from the University of Sheffield – which aims to commercialise the use of new thermal energy storage technologies developed at the University of Loughborough. The technologies store excess energy when renewable energy sources, such as solar or wind, are plentiful, so it can be released and used during peak times or to make up for shortfalls in supply.
The team previously undertook a feasibility study, where they evaluated Thermochemical Storage (TCS), which can offer longer term storage, and Phase Change Material (PCM) technologies, which are more agile and offer shorter term storage. Combined, the two have the potential to significantly reduce carbon emissions, provide a more flexible approach to renewable energy storage and support the country’s net zero ambitions.
These technologies have since been developed and adapted to become modular thermal energy stores that can be slotted into homes alongside the household’s existing energy system – whether that’s as part of a retrofit or within a new build. These prototypes have been installed at Nottingham.
Soaring household bills have been hitting headlines for months as the cost-of-living crisis continues. Therefore, finding an effective alternative has never been more important.
Professor Gillott continued: "Thermal energy storage has the potential to solve two issues in one – not only is it cost effective, but it also removes renewable energy’s dependency on specific weather conditions.
“This is the first of two installations scheduled to take place at Nottingham this year. We’ve started with PCM technology and will follow with TCS later on in autumn, which will provide us with comparable data for both types of technology. By undertaking these trials at lived-in homes, we’ll be able to provide accurate results that will allow us to scale up the technology and bring it to market as quickly as possible.”
Alongside Nottingham, the project team is made up of researchers from Sheffield and Loughborough, universities, as well as Mixergy – the market leader in innovative, grid-connected hot water storage.
This is an exciting milestone to have reached and we are now looking forward to generating the data, and creating an evidence base to demonstrate the benefit that distributed energy storage can provide.
Dr Barthorpe continued: "We hope this will validate our modelling that showed not only consumer benefits through reduced bills, but grid and carbon reduction benefits that will make significant contributions to the UK’s net zero goals."
One of the two houses where the trials are taking place is currently occupied by Komal Siwach and her family.
We’ve been living in our Creative Energy Home since 2019, and we’re really excited to be part of the first phase of installations as heat pumps are more efficient than more conventional boilers and furnaces. I’m expecting this will lower our energy bills by between 30% and 40%.
The £2.6m project is funded by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) through the Longer Duration Energy Storage Demonstration programme, part of the £1bn Net Zero Innovation Portfolio (NZIP).
For more information about the ADSorB Project, please visit: https://adsorb.ac.uk/
Story credits
More information is available from Mark Gillott, Faculty of Engineering at the University of Nottingham, at mark.gillott@nottingham.ac.uk or; Danielle Hall, Media Relations Manager for the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Nottingham, at danielle.hall@nottingham.ac.uk.
About the Faculty of Engineering
Made up of six departments – Architecture and Built Environment, Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Civil Engineering, Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Mechanical, Materials and Manufacturing Engineering and Foundation Engineering and Physical Sciences – the university’s Faculty of Engineering is home to more than 5,600 students and 800 staff.
The faculty, which has educated engineers and architects for more than 140 years, was the first in the country to be accredited with an Athena SWAN Gold Award for excellence in advancing gender equality across higher education and research and is home to multiple state-of-the-art facilities, including the recently opened £40m Power Electronics and Machines Centre (PEMC).
With research at its heart, 20 research groups are undertaking pioneering projects for a sustainable future across several themes – including net zero transport, sustainable energies and the built environment, advanced manufacturing, and healthcare technologies – and has delivered a positive impact in more than 20 countries. The faculty’s research has benefitted 500 companies and three governments and has also directly created jobs for around 3,000 people across the world.
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About the University of Nottingham
Ranked 32 in Europe and 16th in the UK by the QS World University Rankings: Europe 2024, the University of Nottingham is a founding member of the Russell Group of research-intensive universities. Studying at the University of Nottingham is a life-changing experience, and we pride ourselves on unlocking the potential of our students. We have a pioneering spirit, expressed in the vision of our founder Sir Jesse Boot, which has seen us lead the way in establishing campuses in China and Malaysia - part of a globally connected network of education, research and industrial engagement.
Nottingham was crowned Sports University of the Year by The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2024 – the third time it has been given the honour since 2018 – and by the Daily Mail University Guide 2024.
The university is among the best universities in the UK for the strength of our research, positioned seventh for research power in the UK according to REF 2021. The birthplace of discoveries such as MRI and ibuprofen, our innovations transform lives and tackle global problems such as sustainable food supplies, ending modern slavery, developing greener transport, and reducing reliance on fossil fuels.
The university is a major employer and industry partner - locally and globally - and our graduates are the second most targeted by the UK's top employers, according to The Graduate Market in 2022 report by High Fliers Research.
We lead the Universities for Nottingham initiative, in partnership with Nottingham Trent University, a pioneering collaboration between the city’s two world-class institutions to improve levels of prosperity, opportunity, sustainability, health and wellbeing for residents in the city and region we are proud to call home.
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