Environmental degradation has shed light on the need for new sources of energy. A shift in energy sources calls for innovative means of storing energy. For centuries, buildings have proven able to store people, objects, and systems, inviting a conversation about their untapped potential to efficiently store large amounts of energy. In this new era, can buildings go beyond being structures of function to potential reservoirs of power?
Lithium-ion technology was one the undisputed rulers of energy storage, its widespread use in mobile phones and hybrid cars has been a testament to its reliability. However, it is currently facing criticism due to its environmental toll and geopolitical policies. The construction industry has been able to offer a solution to this 21st-century problem through multiple interventions. Bricks and cement have become contenders for these batteries, offering novel ways of storing energy. Minerals integral to construction are now key components of Thermal Energy Storage (TES) systems which can be installed in buildings in a way that turns them into thermal batteries. A fusion of architecture and technology foretells a scalable solution, leading nations toward a cleaner energy economy.
High Rise Buildings as Batteries
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Creating Energy-Efficient Buildings: The Role of Human Interaction and Sensory TechnologySoaring buildings serve as a plausible answer to energy storage concerns in the modern world. Researchers have studied and experimented with potential energy in elevators. Termed Lift Energy Storage Technology (LEST), elevators in high-rise buildings transform into dynamic storage units by lifting wet sand containers to store energy during idle moments. A combination of gravity and existing infrastructure provides a cost-effective alternative to store energy and improve power quality in urban landscapes.
Residential Energy Storage
Apart from high-rises, an increasing number of single-family homes and multi-family dwellings have been utilizing dedicated battery systems and vehicle-to-grid systems. These storage technologies allow for clean energy to be utilized by houses and further shared or sold to the city grid. The United States observed a surge of over 200 percent in installations of such systems between 2014 to 2018, and its demand is projected to steadily grow.
Electrified Cement
Fusing the ancient and the modern, researchers at MIT have combined the properties of cement, water, and carbon black to create a compound termed as “electrified cement”. The nanocomposite allows cement to be used as a supercapacitor, capable of storing and releasing electrical energy at unprecedented speeds. The unique property of electrified cement lies in its ability to form tendril-like forms within voids that act as wires to enhance the material’s conductivity. The material has been imaged in building foundations and roads to create city-wide systems of power, providing sustainable energy to homes and electric vehicles in its vicinity.
Bricks, Rocks, and Sand as Energy Houses
California-based Rondo Energy has developed a heat battery made of bricks. The self-contained units consist of a stack of bricks with electrical heating elements. The bricks store energy by converting renewable electricity into thermal energy, which can in turn be used for providing optimal heat for various industrial processes. Brenmiller, based in Israel, similarly utilizes crushed rock as its TES technology to transform volcanic rock into a constant steam supply for utility and industrial applications. A sand battery has been developed by Finland-based Polar Night, claiming to have installed the world's first commercial sand battery as part of a district heating network. These TES systems leverage materials readily available in construction, thereby presenting a viable and scalable solution to energy storage and use.
The integration of energy storage solutions into buildings also invites the prospect of grid-interactive buildings. These structures can communicate with local power grids to adjust their operations based on real-time data flow. The potential benefits of these alternatives demand attention. If building enclosures simultaneously performed as heat batteries, climate control could seamlessly blend with energy storage for heating, hot water, and electricity. The distribution of renewable power and heat batteries among individual buildings could significantly decrease the demand for centralized utilities, paving the way for a decentralized and resilient energy infrastructure.
Efforts to incentivize end-users, both residential and commercial, to share their distributed storage resources with the central grid become crucial. The coordinated utilization of such distributed resources mitigates the need for massive investments in centralized storage systems. Policymakers and power system regulators play a pivotal role in adopting strategies that encourage the integration of these innovative solutions into the broader energy landscape.
As we chart the course towards a sustainable energy future, the challenges posed by the high cost of energy storage installations and concerns about battery supply chains loom large. However, the promise of decentralized, grid-interactive buildings and innovative energy storage solutions presents a compelling vision. Buildings are not merely structures but potential powerhouses that could redefine the landscape of energy storage.
