Ice thermal energy storage (ITES) is a mature technology, but highly underutilized. The United States has been slower than other countries to ramp up ITES use and in the Pacific Northwest (PNW) there are minimal ITES projects. PGE has been interested in ITES but needs to know if it will be a worthwhile endeavor. With the mild climate in the PNW it is not clear how well ITES will fair. The potential benefits for the grid and customers span from cost savings to renewable energy integration. I have partnered with Trane to model their ITES equipment using their software, TRACE 700, for typical buildings in PGE’s service area. There is also the possibility of testing equipment at PNNL with scenarios from my models. The results can help PGE decide whether to incentivize ITES for their customers. If ITES is able to be deployed on a large scale, it could significantly lower the maximum capacity needed to meet energy demand making renewable energy transition more feasible as well as store renewable energy generated at night. The first building modeled showed minimal benefits, but several more cases need to be analyzed to ascertain the value ITES can offer for the PNW. Subject: Energy storage, power systems, renewable energy, grid integration, building modeling, HVAC, utilities
