Work

Assessing the value of coupling thermal energy storage with air source heat pumps for residential space heating in US cities

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Widespread air source heat pump (ASHP) adoption faces several challenges that thermochemical salt hydrate energy storage can mitigate. We quantify the space heating value of four salts— MgS O 4 , MgC l 2 , K 2 C O 3 , and SrB r 2 —coupled with ASHPs across 4,800 households in 12 US cities by embedding salt-hydrate-specific Ragone plots into a techno-economic model of coupled ASHP-thermal energy storage (TES) operations. In Detroit, salt hydrate TES can reduce household annual electricity costs by 5%–8%. Cost savings from TES vary widely between households, salts, and climates. We identify the most promising salt in this study, SrB r 2 , due to its high energy density and low humidification parasitic load. Breakeven capital costs of SrB r 2 -based TES can reach $17/kWh, making it the only salt studied to reach and exceed the US Department of Energy's $15/kWh TES cost target. Sensitivities highlight the importance of variable TES sizing and efficiency losses in the value of TES.

Source: Cell Reports Sustainability

DOI: 10.1016/j.crsus.2025.100460

Authors: An T. Pham, Bryan Kinzer, Ritvik Jain, Rohini Bala Chandran, Michael T. Craig

Institution: University of Michigan

Language: English

Topic: Adsorption and Cooling Systems

Subfield: Mechanical Engineering

Field: Engineering

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDGs: Affordable and clean energy, Climate action

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $5,730