Impacts of Increasing Penetration of Renewable Energy Generation and Opportunity for Increased Use of TES

The demand for electricity in many locations is strongly driven by building air conditioning systems, which experience their peak in the afternoon period during hot humid days.  It seems reasonable to assume that utilities would benefit from increased renewable energy deployment to meet electric loads from air conditioning because solar energy output is high when air conditioning demands are high.  This presentation explores this thesis in more depth and describes why renewable energy technologies alone cannot cost-effectively meet utility loads.  Thermal energy storage is shelf-ready technology that will be instrumental in shifting electric loads from air conditioning to periods of time when renewable energy is available.