Free Heat Battery Estimator tool released

A free online tool has been developed and made available for those wanting to understand the payoff from a “heat battery” to lessen their dependence on gas for process heat.

The Australian Alliance for Energy Productivity (A2EP, a not-for-profit coalition of companies and researchers) and Aratherm (a company specialising in industrial clean heat solutions) announced the launch of the Heat Battery Estimator on Thursday.

According to the pair, “just a few basic inputs on current process heat demands and gas use for heat” are needed to calculate the cost and emissions savings that various electric thermal batteries of various capacities could provide.

The nation has an excess of renewable energy during the daytime, said Jarrod Leak, A2EP’s CEO.

“There’s a range of heat battery technologies available right now which industrial energy users could charge up during these times of zero or negative-cost electricity to supply decarbonised heat around the clock for their processes,” he added.

The calculator could also help energy users understand the operational costs for a heat battery in a hybrid set-up, complimenting existing gas boiler systems operating in the Australian National Electricity Market, as well as show the impact of network tariffs on the economics of implementing a heat battery, according to A2EP.

More information is available at this link.

Picture: supplied

Further reading

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ARENA backs heat pump for process heat application

Simplot, McCain, Lion and others to complete renewable process heat feasibility studies by year’s end