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Biobattery is already in use and researchers are in the process of establishing a company with the aim of commercializing the new technology.
Until now, it has been a challenge to store the solar panel energy we generate when the sun is shining and from wind turbines when the wind is blowing. But Research Manager Alexis Sevault and Research Scientist Fride Vullum-Bruer from a laboratory in Trondheim, Norway, have managed to do just that – and entirely without any form of advanced battery technology.
As you can see in the image below, from the outside, it looks like a metallic container with a small round window cut into the side and several tubes that take energy in the form of heat inside and then outside when needed.
This 'container' makes it possible to store heat energy generated by solar panels on sunny days and by wind turbines on windy days and release it again when the weather turns colder. The technology that powers the system is based on what are called “phase change materials” (PCMs) in combination with heat pumps.
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In fact, the energy source can be anything from surplus energy from a wind turbine, electricity generated by solar panels, or even heat from the sun itself, without the need for solar panels.
smart molecules
Scientists call phase change materials, or PCMs, materials that behave differently in their different phases and that can also store heat.
“The device contains three tons of a liquid biowax based on a vegetable oil that cannot be used as food,” says Sevault. “In the same way that water turns to ice, wax becomes a solid, crystalline material when it gets cold enough. 'Cold' for this particular wax means below 37 degrees,” he says.
Biowax is composed of molecules that behave very economically in terms of heat. To save energy, the molecules are arranged very close together when the biowax is in its solid phase.
Biobattery that captures energy from solar panels and wind turbines has been in use for over a year!
The new technology has been in use as part of the ZEB Laboratory heating system for over a year. “The PCM-based heat storage system is delivering exactly the performance we expected,” says Alexis Sevault. “We are using as much of the building's self-generated solar energy as possible. We are also finding that the system is very suitable for so-called 'peak depletion',” he says.
“By charging the biobattery before the coldest parts of the day, we prevent the building from consuming valuable grid electricity at times when the rest of Trondheim is also experiencing high demand,” says Sevault. “This gives us a level of flexibility that we can also use to exploit fluctuations in the spot price. We can charge our battery when we have access to energy from the sun, wind and waste heat, and extract the output when the price of electricity is high,” he explains.
New technology is more suitable for industrial applications
“This system will be ideal for industrial and office buildings, and in neighborhoods where heat can be distributed,” says Sevault. “The best part about it is that the technology is virtually maintenance free. It will last at least 25 years,” he says.
The researchers who developed the 'biobattery', or PCM heat storage system as experts call it, are now in the process of establishing a company with the aim of commercializing the technology.
“We asked that after several months of testing in the ZEB lab, we can safely start the concept on its journey towards commercialization,” says Sevault. “We've also made contact with many end users who are interested in having a pilot system installed in 2023 or 2024. Many of them are industrial companies that have the resources to scale up the concept,” he says.
This research is being carried out by SINTEF in collaboration with NTNU. It is being financed by ZEN (Zero-Emission Neighborhoods), which is an Environmentally Friendly Energy Research Center. Along with many other research divisions within NTNU and SINTEF, researchers have established a Gemini Center called Thermal Energy Storage.
I’d love to hear what you think of this new biobattery. Let us know in the comments section if you enjoy this type of news. Don’t forget to turn on CPG notifications to stay up to date with all the latest news from the world of technology and renewable energy. See you next time!
Very promising. Congratulations.
It will be a good option for us to use in the off grid solar panel system.
The article does not state why the wax in question serves this purpose.
To get an idea of the usefulness of this wax, you should provide the values of the latent heats of fusion and solidification (and also of water) so that you can compare how much better wax is than water for this operation.
As the readers most interested in this channel are from the technical field, the information should be directed to them, considering their ability to evaluate the materials presented.
Another question: in one of the last paragraphs, the “Environmentally Friendly Energy Research Center” is mentioned.
What is “acondaria”???
This word does not appear in either the Aurélio or Houaiss dictionaries, nor on Google.
Does the channel answer questions?
I'm happy when I see reports like this, it's a sign that there are people who care about the well-being of humanity, it's a shame that later everything turns into bombs and equipment to destroy us.
Very good, if you want to install it in off-grid homes, I'm here to test it