THE PROJECT.
SCO2OP-TES aims to develop and validate up to TRL5 in UNIGE lab the next generation of Power-to-heat-to-power (P2H2P) energy storage based on sCO2 technologies able to guarantee long duration and large scale energy storage to facilitate bulky RES integration in EU energy systems as well as to enhance fossil based power plants flexibilization and facilitate grid integration of EU industries via a storage solution based on rotating-machine and therefore more grid flexible and environmentally friendly if compared to battery or power-to-H2 storage solutions.
SCO2OP-TES promotes a new paradigm where industrial WH (even at low temperature like 150-200°C) can be used not only to produce power via ORC or sCO2 Cycles, but to operate P2H2P storage systems more efficiently and grid flexibly.
SCO2OP-TES aims to develop and validate key enabling technologies (HEXs, turbomachinery, TES) and modelling approaches (Dynamics, thermoeconomic, grid flexibility potential assessment) to make EU leader in the field of P2H2P solutions.
CHALLENGE.
Renewable Energy Sources (RES) presence in EU Energy system and electric grid are constantly growing while electrified processes are becoming more and more common.
Since many renewable sources are non-programmable, it is important to achieve convenient ways to store large amount of energy and for a long time horizon in order to shave peaks and align production and demand
This is Italy's actual electrical generation for 8 and 9 March 2023, taken as example.
At the same time, new long duration energy storage should be able to fast-response to grid flexibility needs, being able to provide significant amount of power (>10 MW) in daily ramp-up moments.
Annual electricity from wind and solar on a regional grid (%)
CONCEPT.
SCO2OP-TES promotes a new Thermally Integrated Pumped Thermal Energy Storage based on sCO2 technologies and integrating mid temperature (200 – 400°C) waste heat and thermal RES sources to increase the overall storage round trip efficiency (RTE). This solution will be validated up to TRL5 in UNIGE Laboratories hosted in Tirreno Power Combined Cycle power plant in Vado Ligure, valorising local waste heat.
OBJECTIVES.
SCO2OP-TES Proposed TI-PTES solution will be able to operate to valorise industrial/power plant WH and local industrial energy production and will have four main goals:
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Make EU fossil-based power plants and industries (which are becoming more and more electrified) more grid flexible and less grid also bothering, considering local RES production, making EU industries grid flexibility actors
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Valorise WH from fossil-based power plants for energy storage solutions (DOUBLE FLEXIBILITY)
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Use sCO2 based rotating machines thus enabling faster grid services
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Unlock the potential of power to heat-to-power solutions (also via aggregation) to facilitate, at local and Regional/National level, higher RES penetration
CONSORTIUM.
The consortium is composed by innovative SMEs and acknowledged EU RTOs, motivated to realize the first sCO2 PTES pilot plant in Europe. Leveraging experiences from previous EU Funded projects (SHARP-sCO2, CO2OLHEAT, SOLARSCO2OL etc.) as well as from acknowledged RTOs (UNIGE, CVR, KTH, POLIMI, CERTH, UoB) and industrial partners (EDPP, EDP-NEW, HERON,), SCO2OP-TES the potential of “sCO2 BASED CARNOT BATTERIES” based on innovative Molten Salt TES (KYOTO, RPOW) and sCO2 HEXs (AL) and turbomachinery (ENOGIA, SIT) targeting to assess the potential benefit of valorising local WH to optimize round-trip-efficiency and reduce TES size/CAPEX while optimizing local grid/power plant flexibility needs. Via its pilot and replication campaign (involving further CCGTs in Greece and Portugal), SCO2OP-TES promotes the role of P2H2P as key enabling long duration/large scale energy storage technology to boost RES integration in EU energy systems.
