Life cycle analysis of PCM-enhanced domestic hot water storage

Encapsulated phase change material (PCM) can be used to increase the capacity of domestic hot water (DHW) storages by a factor of 2 to 3. This extra capacity allows for an increase of own-consumption and self-sufficiency of locally produced renewable energy from solar thermal or photovoltaic systems and thus reduces the energy demand taken from the grid or other fuel sources. While the energetic sustainability can already be seen directly from simulations, the environmental benefit in terms of avoided CO2 emissions depends heavily on the life cycle analysis (LCA) of the added PCM capsules compared to the energy saved. This LCA was carried out for a demonstrator PCM-enhanced domestic hot water station and shows a very early break-even point for CO2 emissions. In addition, a comparison was made with a battery system (as an electrical storage system in front of the heat pump, with equivalent heat capacity), which shows that the latent heat storage system with encapsulated PCM leads to ten times fewer emissions per kWh of thermal energy delivered.+ ID der Publikation: hslu_88639 + Art des Beitrages: Präsentation Konferenzpapier/Tagungsbeitrag + Sprache: Englisch + Letzte Aktualisierung: 2022-03-15 11:45:2