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Every night some 74,000 gallons (280,000 liters) of water are frozen at Norton Audbon Hospital. Louisville, Kentki,
The hospital used to receive all this Air conditioning Most found in the US from a traditional system BuildingsBut now 27 tanks of ice maintain a network of cold water pipes with safe temperatures and operating rooms on patients.
This type of thermal energy storage, also known as snow batteries, is being added to buildings in the US, which is for the ability to provide cold air without releasing planetary-warming emissions.
These systems cut Electricity Use and reduce stress on grid. With rising temperature and increasing power demand in the US, ice thermal energy storage provides a permanent option for cooling buildings.
Tran Technologies, a company that makes heating and cooling equipment, says it has seen the increasing demand for this technology over the years. Its ice battery is used in most schools as well as commercial and government buildings.
Nostromo Energy, another company that makes snow batteries, is chasing customers between energy-intensive data centers whose high cooling demands. Small systems for homes are also made by companies like ice energy.
Snow melting tank
The ice thermal energy varies between the storage technology manufacturers, but each follows a similar concept: at night when the electricity from the grid is its cheapest, the water freezes into the snow that melts the building the next day to cool the building. The ice water that is moving through the pipes in the building, absorbing heat from the rooms and creating a cooling effect. The cold air is then pushed through the vent by the system.
Norton Audbon Hospital uses a tran ice battery system. Tran stated that its ice battery is often used with traditional air conditioning, and ice-based cooling is used to reduce energy costs during extreme demand. Traditional AC components are typically left space or down when ice batteries are added.
Stored ice does not require energy to melt, which reduces tension on the grid and reduces the use of electrical power, eventually reduces monthly bills.
“Storage of energy for further use is where we are going with the future of the grid,” Ted Tiffany said, senior technical leadership in the Building Decarbonization alliance. He said that reaching air conditioning requires a major public health that is being extended by a warming planet, and ice battery is a permanent way to address health risks associated with excessive heat.
The cost of energy in Norton Audbone was $ 278,000 less for the first year. The ice battery system was operated after the 2018 was established. The hospital estimates that the system and other energy-saving measures have saved it about $ 4 million since 2016.
Anthony Mathis, an executive officer of Norton Healthcare, said, “Technology has been great for us.” sustainabilityHe said that he gets interrogation from other building operators about technology and thinks that more facilities will be adopted as an awareness.
Using ice to meet rising energy demands
Experts at sustainable energy say that ice thermal energy storage is one of the options that can use commercial buildings to reduce electricity demand or store additional energy. Some commercial buildings use lithium batteries, which can store additional solar or wind energy that are available.
Dustin Mulvenni, professor of environmental studies at San Jose State University, said that snow battery is a sensible option for health care settings and senior homes as lithium batteries can pose a fire risk.
Manufacturers also see opportunities in data centers, which are increasing in numbers to support artificial intelligence and need high energy and cooling. December 1 report Department of Energy It was found that data centers consumed more than 4 electricity dents in the country in 2023 and this number could increase by 12% by 2028.
“Data centers are very energy-boring and about 30 percent to 40 percent of their energy use are to cool down to 40 percent to 40 percent of their energy use … This is the place where our solution can really help.”
Nostromo Energy said that it is discussing deals with several big data center operators to install his system, but refused to provide further details. Its ice battery technology is also used at Beverly Hills Hotel California,
California Currently the largest market for this technique is because the grid there uses too much solar energy during the day, but switchs to pollute energy sources such as natural gas after the sun set. Snow battery can be used for air conditioning in late afternoon and evening instead of drawing from the grid.
“A lot of utilities are really interested in this type of load-shifting technology,” another ICE thermal energy storage company, the Chief Operating Officer of Ice Energy, Joe Rath. He said that in summer, usually the demand for air conditioning is the most expensive time for the operation of utilities.
“This is actually the great technique that the grid is really needed because many of the future electric loads are inspired by cooling,” said Rath.