The benefits of energy storage air conditioning system

1. Social benefits

The application of energy storage air conditioning systems is closely related to the policies of the power system, mainly because energy storage systems have enormous social benefits. The energy storage system can transfer the peak electricity consumption and balance the peak valley difference of the power grid, thus reducing the investment in new power plants, improving the utilization rate of existing power generation and transmission equipment, and reducing environmental pollution caused by energy use (especially for thermal power generation), making full use of limited non renewable resources, which is conducive to ecological balance.

The peak valley difference of the power grid is a major characteristic of modern power grids, and it has an increasing trend with economic development. With the continuous development of China’s national economy, although the national power sector has invested a lot of financial and material resources in building power plants, it still cannot meet the demand for an annual increase of 5-7% in electricity consumption. Especially in recent years, with the continuous development of urbanization, the energy consumption of urban buildings has shown an accelerating growth trend. According to statistics, air conditioning accounts for more than 30% of the peak electricity consumption in some major cities in China, which leads to a sharp increase in the peak valley difference of the power system and a significant decrease in the load rate of the power grid. This greatly affects the cost of power generation and the safe operation of the power grid.

Due to the difficulty of storing electricity itself, solutions are usually considered for electricity users. The proportion of electricity used for air conditioning in the power grid, especially in civilian electricity, is increasing. According to statistics, the electricity consumption of air conditioning in general office buildings accounts for more than one-third, while in shopping mall buildings, air conditioning accounts for 50-60%. Starting with air conditioning electricity consumption is undoubtedly the most effective way to solve the problem of peak valley difference in the power grid. Energy storage air conditioning includes cold storage (ice or water) and heat storage (heating and domestic hot water), and has a wide range of applications. At the same time, the energy consumption of air conditioning generally has the following characteristics, which are also very suitable for energy storage: firstly, most air conditioning and heating systems can be used intermittently, such as supplying during work hours and turning off after work hours, so that the system itself may use existing equipment to store energy during the intermittent period (low electricity period at night), supplying or supplementing energy for the air conditioning operation the next day. Secondly, the energy consumption of air conditioning is mostly 7/12 ℃ cold water or 40/50~50/60 ℃ hot water, which belongs to low-grade energy. On the other hand, electrical energy is a high-grade energy that can be converted into any low-grade energy. Moreover, by using the operation of refrigeration or heat pumps, each 1kW of electrical energy can obtain 3-6kW of thermal energy. The conversion and utilization rate of electrical energy is very high, and the storage and use are also relatively convenient.

Peak shifting and valley filling, as well as electricity conservation, are collectively referred to as demand side management, abbreviated as DSM in English. The United States began demand side management of electricity in the 1970s. Over the course of thirty years, the government has introduced a series of preferential policies to encourage demand side management projects, including providing direct funding, offering various low interest or interest free loans, encouraging various industries to invest in such projects and providing electricity price policies to recover investment, and offering price discounts for purchasing energy storage and energy-saving equipment. In Asia, developing countries such as Thailand, the Philippines, and Sri Lanka have carried out demand side management work and have also received significant social and economic benefits. In foreign countries, the application of energy storage technology can be seen in factory workshops, office buildings, shopping malls, hospitals, schools, and even residential buildings, with a wide range of uses and a bright future.

After years of effort, the technical equipment and management level of China’s power industry have reached a new level, and significant progress has been made in the construction and renovation of the power grid. However, the low load rate and large peak valley difference of the power grid make the power supply still very tight. For example, the maximum peak valley difference of the North China power grid reaches 40% of the maximum load, while in 1999, the load rate of the power grid was above 95% for only 12 days, and the actual maximum load reached only 1-2 hours per day. The National Development and Reform Commission and the State Economic and Trade Commission, in collaboration with the State Power Corporation, have conducted several studies and successively issued a series of directive or guiding plans to local economic commissions and power companies, aiming to promote the realization of “peak shaving and valley filling” in electricity through economic means. At present, the vast majority of local power companies have introduced peak valley time of use electricity pricing policies, especially formulated various preferential policies for the promotion and use of energy storage air conditioning technology, which has brought opportunities for the widespread promotion of energy storage air conditioning.

2. User revenue

Energy storage systems not only bring enormous social benefits, but also have good economic benefits, such as delaying or reducing installed power generation capacity, reducing environmental pollution control costs, reducing grid peak shaving frequency, and lowering power generation costs. For users, the tangible economic benefits and operational management advantages are mainly reflected in the following aspects:

Firstly, utilizing the time of use electricity pricing policy can significantly save operating costs. Just like stock trading, the electricity consumption strategy of energy storage systems is also “high selling, low absorbing”, which means using less or no electricity when the electricity price is high, releasing the stored energy for use, and using more electricity when the electricity price is low, storing the produced cold or heat. In general, the electricity price ratio during peak and valley periods can reach 3:1 or 4:1, so the annual savings in operating electricity costs are quite considerable.

Secondly, the installed capacity and power of the refrigeration unit can be reduced by 30-50%, and correspondingly, the installed capacity and power of cooling towers and water pumps can be reduced. Due to the ability to rely on melting ice for cooling during peak air conditioning loads, the installed cooling capacity of the main unit can be reduced without the need to equip equipment according to peak loads like conventional air conditioning systems. Correspondingly, the proportion of equipment operating at full load increases, which can fully improve equipment utilization and increase equipment operating efficiency.

Thirdly, reduce the initial investment cost of electricity. Due to the decrease in installed power of refrigeration system equipment, the costs of electricity subsidies, transformers, and high and low voltage distribution cabinets can all be reduced. In addition, due to the preferential policies of the power system, energy storage systems can obtain additional discounts on electricity tariff reductions.

In addition, the cold storage system can serve as an emergency cold source, and in the event of a power outage, it can use its own power to start the water pump to melt ice and provide cooling; The thermal storage system reduces the pollution of dust and smoke, and reduces or eliminates fire protection measures. Therefore, energy storage systems have greater flexibility and wider adaptability in operation and management.

The above article is all about storage air conditioning system. I believe that after reading it, everyone should have a clear understanding. We are a manufacturer specializing in the production of air conditioning pressure switches. Like r22 low pressure switch , hp lp switch, heat pump pressure switch , 410a high pressure switch. If you have any needs, please feel free to contact us.