Comparing Carnot batteries and chemical batteries for residential heat and electricity management: a prospective life-cycle assessment
(2024) 10th International Conference on Smart Energy Systems — Location: Aalborg, Denmark
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- Abstract
- Carnot batteries convert electricity into heat for storage, and later transform this stored heat back into electricity as required. Because of their nature and the conversion technologies used for charging and discharging (heat pumps and an organic Rankine cycle, respectively), they are generally seen as an effective sector coupling tool to bring flexibility to renewable energy systems (reuse of waste heat, supply of heat and electricity, etc.). In addition to their strategic independence from rare materials, Carnot batteries are frequently highlighted for their lower environmental impact compared to chemical batteries. However, this has not been demonstrated yet in a comparative study considering the overall environmental footprint, i.e., not restricted to Global Warming Potential (GWP). To fill this gap, we performed a prospective and comparative life-cycle analysis of four different energy system topologies for a residential application (heat and electricity demand), distinguished by the storage systems used: chemical battery, chemical battery + thermal storage, thermal storage + organic Rankine cycle to discharge electricity (i.e. the proper Carnot battery), and, finally, a reversible heat pump/organic Rankine cycle configuration. In each case, a photovoltaic array is used as a source of renewable electricity and a heat pump is used to meet the thermal demand. First, a multi-criteria optimisation is carried out to size the system components, aiming to minimise the GWP while providing an equivalent level of energy self-sufficiency. Secondly, at the predefined level of energy self-sufficiency, the different topologies are compared through a full life cycle analysis, including the 18 midpoint indicators defined by the ReCiPe method. The results illustrate the environmental impact of the different topologies, and for which indicators the Carnot battery outperforms the chemical battery
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Laterre, A., Coppitters, D., Lemort, V., & Contino, F. (2024). Comparing Carnot batteries and chemical batteries for residential heat and electricity management: a prospective life-cycle assessment. 10th International Conference on Smart Energy Systems, Aalborg, Denmark.