I read an article, which I cannot find now, that said that water heaters can be retrofitted to provide a more cost effective energy storage system when compared the electrochemical battery storage systems. Basically, excess renewable energy would be used to heat water in residential water heaters. But, I don’t understand how the energy is later extracted for use or if it was only for the purpose of providing hot water.
In: Engineering
Technology Connections has some interesting takes on this. Especially how the water heater actually had a hot and cold side with a stratified layer in the middle. It kinda blew my mind. He’s also shutting off his hot water tank when power is more expensive.
If I ever build a house from zero, it is getting the mother of all energy storage tanks in the basement. I’m a stainless fabricator so I’d be welding up something out of 316 stainless that would last a hundred years, with removable heat exchanger coils that drop in from the top.
When combined with a ground (or air) source heat pump and some solar hot water panels on the roof you have yourself one hell of an energy storage system. It will need some serious valve manifolds to pipe around the heat on demand.
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