Peak demand
Charge the thermal store when conditions are favourable and reduce electrical demand when the system is under pressure.
TECHNOLOGY FOCUS · THERMAL
The battery does not have to be electrical.
Thermal energy can be captured, stored and released later. That simple idea can change how buildings use heat pumps, renewable energy and peak electricity.
THERMAL ENERGY STORAGE
A DIFFERENT KIND OF BATTERY
Store the useful thing — heat or cooling.
A thermal energy store holds energy in a material as heat or as a cold sink, ready to be used later. Unlike a battery that stores electricity, thermal storage can sometimes deliver the useful thermal energy directly, avoiding extra electrical conversion steps.
That makes thermal storage particularly interesting alongside heat pumps, solar generation and buildings with significant heating or cooling demand.
THE GRID IS CHANGING
Timing matters almost as much as quantity.
New Zealand's electricity system is becoming more reliant on renewable generation, while demand is increasing through electrification. The Electricity Authority has identified flexibility and storage as important parts of managing this more complex system.
That creates a question EvolutionFX finds particularly interesting:
“Can we move the energy demand instead of building the system around the peak?”
ONE SYSTEM · MANY LEVERS
RENEWABLE POWERSolar · Wind · Grid
↓HEAT PUMPEfficient energy conversion
↓THERMAL STOREEnergy held for later
↓BUILDINGHeating · Cooling · Hot water
WHERE ELSE CAN WE USE IT?
Once you can store thermal energy, the use cases expand.
Solar utilisation
Turn surplus renewable electricity into useful stored heat rather than curtailing or exporting it at a low-value time.
Heat pump performance
Use storage to help stabilise operating conditions and shift the timing of heat production.
Thermal energy is an engineering problem — but also a timing problem.
EVOLUTIONFX · THERMAL SYSTEMS
Think beyond the heat pump.
The heat pump is only one part of the system. Add thermal storage and intelligent control, and the question becomes much more interesting: when should the system produce energy, when should it store it, and when should it use it?
That is where we see opportunities for new products and new applications.
Explore intelligent systems →