Bank Heat, Use It Later
District heating rarely matches supply to demand minute by minute. Thermal storage decouples the two, letting plants run steadier and cheaper.
Storage Types
- Sensible, water tanks: cheap, mature, covers daily cycling.
- Sensible, molten salt: for very high-temperature industrial heat.
- Latent, PCM: phase-change materials pack more energy in less volume.
Where Air-to-Air Fits
Before heat enters storage, recover it from exhaust with an air-to-air exchanger. Storage then banks the upgraded heat for the evening peak. Pairing storage with heat pumps turns low-grade waste into dispatchable heat.