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68 E L EC TR I C AL CONNEC T I ON
AU T UMN 20 1 6
A SHOWOF SANDS
L
atent Heat Storage (LHS) has
developed a low cost thermal
energy storage system based
on the latent heat properties of silicon
derived from sand.
The device – known as TESS – is being
developed in South Australia with the
help of an $A400,000 government
grant to take it from prototype to
commercial reality.
The TESS device stores electricity as
thermal energy by heating and melting
containers full of silicon. The high latent
heat capacity and melting temperature
of silicon makes it ideal for the storage
of large amounts of energy.
LHS chief executive Jonathan Whalley
says storage was the next big challenge
for energy generation worldwide.
“Renewable energy sources generally
spill energy due to supply and demand
mismatches, so we’ve designed the TESS
device to capture this ‘spilt’ energy for
later use or release to the grid,” he says.
“Our system also means that energy
consumers will be able to purchase
stored electricity off-peak at low tariffs,
which ultimately means cheaper energy.”
A key benefit of the TESS device is
its capability to handle an increasing
workload from 500kW applications
through to an industrial scale of up to
several hundred megawatt hours –
enough to power about 7,000 homes for
a day.
The patented device is small enough to
fit inside a 20-foot shipping container but
is readily scalable as demand requires.
TESS is suitable for grid and off-grid
applications and has been designed
to overcome the intermittent nature
of renewable energies such as wind
and solar by providing a stable energy
output suitable for base load power.
It can be integrated anywhere within
an electricity network and is suitable for
commercial and industrial businesses
where heat and electricity are required
such as hotels, schools and hospitals.
“After three years of research and
development, our key objective now
is to complete building a commercial
prototype of the TESS device and start
showcasing its potential to global
markets,” Jonathan says.
A commercial prototype will be ready
in early 2016 to be used as a selling tool
to potential clients and Jonathan says
devices would initially be built to meet
the needs of individual sites rather than
mass produced.
The Australian Government grant,
through its Entrepreneur’s Program,
has been matched by LHS shareholders
to generate $800,000 of total project
funding.
The device has been developed
in partnership with Adelaide-based
engineering consultancy ammjohn, and
final year engineering students at the
University of Adelaide.
Jonathan says the commercial
introduction of energy storage systems
would encourage more renewable
energy generation such as wind farms
and solar arrays.
“Energy prices are increasing around
the world while storage technology
costs are reducing, so we’re approaching
the tipping point where energy
storage systems are finally becoming
commercially viable,” he says.
“We are developing an energy storage
system to meet market demand …
we anticipate that this will result in
exponential growth of the energy
storage market worldwide.”
Andrew Spence
SAND IS EMERGING AS A KEY
INGREDIENT IN THE RACE TO
DEVELOP A VIABLE ELECTRICITY
STORAGE SYSTEM FOR
RENEWABLE ENERGIES.
The TESS device stores electricity as thermal energy by heating and melting containers
full of silicon derived from sand.
RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT