The European Union has set a target to achieve 1236 GW of installed renewable energy source (RES) power capacity by 2030, an ambition that requires an energy storage solution that can guarantee both grid stability and the possibility to exploit RES on demand.
The SCO2OP-TES project aims to develop and validate the next generation of Power-to-Heat-to-Power (P2H2P) energy storage solutions.
The project team will focus on developing a new type of Carnot Battery that will valorise freely available heat from thermal RES or waste heat from industries and fossil-based power plants. The expectation is that this new type of Carnot Battery will be able to guarantee high round trip efficiency and make industrial/power plants more grid-flexible.
Funded by the European Union in the Horizon Europe framework, this project is a collaborative effort of 16 partners spanning 10 European countries. Dr Adriano Sciacovelli will be the project lead for the University of Birmingham, he and his MODES research group will advise on the multi-scale thermal engineering to control and optimise the key thermo-fluid processes of the SCO2OP-TES project. The team will also utilise their expertise on industrial decarbonisation to inform decisions surrounding the method and tools used for optimal recovery, upgrades and the conversion of waste heat recovery.
: Longer duration storage of energy and industrial decarbonization are essential pieces of the puzzle toward a net-zero society. The project will deliver scientific and technological breakthroughs in the field of advanced thermo-mechanical technology, bringing together scientists, innovators and industry to advance a novel solution for efficient storage and conversion of energy up to 100 hours. A first-of-its-kind in Europe.
Dr Adriano Sciacovelli, Associate Professor and lead for the MODES research group
By combining Thermally Integrated-Pumped Thermal Energy Storage (TI-PTES) with supercritical CO2 (sCO2) cycle the SCO2OP-TES approach has the potential to provide affordable long-duration (>10hrs) and large-scale storage solutions that can be integrated into the EU energy system and transform traditional power plants into flexible renewable energy plants.
The project will officially begin with a kick-off meeting on the 14 December. Following this, there will be a technical workshop on the 15 December to delve into the specifics of the project's pilot site and the key components of the energy storage system.
