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Hyme Energy has awarded Semco Maritime an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) services contract for the 1.6 MWh molten salt storage (MOSS) project in Esbjerg, Denmark.
Hyme Energy, a spin-off of Denmarks Seaborg Technologies, has partnered with Semco Maritime to build a molten salt thermal energy storage demonstrator at the Gjesing Varmeværk thermal power plant, owned by regional company Din Forsyning, in the Danish port from Esbjerg.
“The MOSS demonstration plant is the first energy storage plant built with molten hydroxide salts. It will consist of a 1.6 MWh storage unit, which will lay the foundations for future installations in the order of GWh,” Emil Løvschall-Jensen, CEO of Hyme Energy, told pv magazine Ask.
The purpose of the plant is to showcase and test the companys molten hydroxide storage technology in a hands-on environment.
“The plant will be tested to demonstrate the integration of our components, validate our system design, gain insight into the most optimal materials and components, and demonstrate system operation and control,” he explained.
Therefore, the demonstration plant will only be used to produce heat. However, it is not part of the scope of the project to supply heat to Esbjergs district heating system, the company explained.
Hymes energy storage technology stores electricity from renewable sources in 700ºC molten hydroxide salt for up to two weeks. It is based on a two-tank storage design developed for concentrated solar power (CSP) plants and Hymes proprietary hydroxide salt corrosion control technology.
During charging, electricity from renewables is converted to heat using electric heaters. The salt from the cold tank circulates through the heaters and is heated from 350ºC to 700ºC, then stored in the hot tank.
At the time of discharge, the salt from the hot tank circulates to the steam generator, where the energy is transferred to the water, generating high-temperature steam. The steam can be used directly in an industrial process or to power a turbine to produce electricity and district heating. The cooled salt is then pumped back into the cold tank until the next charge cycle.
The efficiency of the storage system varies according to its use. For industrial heat, Hyme foresees efficiencies of around 90%, while for cogeneration, the figure is between 80% and 90%. For electricity generation, the company expects an efficiency of around 40%.
Hymes storage technology is scalable and a 1 GWh installation using sodium hydroxides should be able to produce electricity and heat for around 100,000 homes during 10 hours of discharge, according to the company.
Since sodium hydroxide can be produced cheaply from seawater as a by-product of chlorine production, the company estimates that it is six times cheaper than standard salts used for storage.
Hyme, founded in 2021, is working on another demonstrator on the Danish island of Bornholm. The companys 10-15 MWh molten salt storage facility will be part of a scalable hybrid storage system that will also feature a flywheel storage system supplied by QuinteQ Energy and recycled lithium-ion batteries supplied by PLS Energy Systems.
The Bornholm project, dubbed 2LiPP, aims to provide ideas on possible ways to reuse cogeneration plants. It will provide heat, electricity and auxiliary services to the local network.
In November 2022, the Danish company signed a cooperation agreement with Power Engineering Consulting Joint Stock Company 2 (PECC2) to develop and build at least 2 GWh by 2030 and at least 6 GWh by 2035 of thermal energy storage projects in Vietnam. .
In the case of the MOSS project, the engineering is expected to be completed in the second quarter of 2023 and the subsequent installation phase is expected to be completed in the fourth quarter. Hyme has received backing from the Danish Energy Agency to build the pilot plant.
“Esbjergs storage system will be connected to the regular grid, and not directly to renewable sources. When the excess electricity (when the price is low) is charged to the storage system, the electricity will come mostly from renewable sources,” explains Løvschall-Jense.
This is possible as the Esbjerg area is well known as a favorable geographic location for wind power, with large offshore projects already in operation.
“We have matured the MOSS project in the last year and soon we will be ready to start the construction phase with Semco Maritime”, concluded the CEO.
In addition to the MOSS project contract, the partners have agreed to explore opportunities to collaborate on Hymes future larger projects, where its long duration thermal energy storage solution will enable utilities and industries to decarbonize generation. of heat and electricity. |
