The Store Electricity and Heat foR climatE Neutral Europe (SEHRENE) project consortium partners gathered at the University of Liège, Belgium, to participate in the First Review Meeting on 22 May, 2025, as the institute hosted this event.
The partners addressed their progress on each of the seven task packages, including coordination. They also talked about prototype integration and thermodynamic modelling. Insights, achievements, and challenges ahead from practical experience brought under special light during the event.
Following the meeting, participants from the consortium visited the labs of the University of Liège. They observed the research facilities and ongoing work supporting the SEHRENE Electro Thermal Energy Storage (ETES) integration and modelling efforts in the labs and had more conversations and ideas for collaboration for the SEHRENE project after getting hands-on experience.
Dr. Mahfuza Ahmed, Collaborative Research Leader at Technovative Solutions Ltd. attended the meeting on behalf of TVS, and updated the consortium on the latest advancement by TVS for the project. We have got an opportunity to interview her on the experience of attending the meeting. Let's read the first edition of the conversation, where she talked about the project overview and the role of TVS in the project.
Could you provide an overview of the SEHRENE project and its primary objectives?
The SEHRENE project, officially titled "Store Electricity and Heat for Climate Neutral Europe," is an ambitious Horizon Europe initiative focused on advancing energy storage solutions. At the heart of this effort is the development of a cutting-edge Electro-Thermal Energy Storage (ETES) system designed to store renewable electricity and heat for later use. With an impressive round-trip efficiency of 80–85%, this system offers a competitive alternative to existing long-duration storage technologies, such as pumped hydro. The project's main goals include designing an integrated ETES concept at Technology Readiness Level 4, enhancing its performance and reliability, ensuring economic viability and environmental sustainability, and developing Digital Twins (DTs) along with an AI-based Energy Management System (EMS). Another key aspect is the development of a Decision Support System (DSS), which provides thermodynamic modelling of the ETES for various use cases and scenarios, as well as Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and economic analysis, including CAPEX, OPEX, Levelized Cost of Storage (LCOS) etc. Therefore, DSS can/will help potential users assess the feasibility and sustainability of ETES in various industrial settings, ensuring that energy storage solutions are both effective and environmentally aligned.
Beyond these technical objectives, SEHRENE offers several environmental and practical benefits, including high recyclability, geographical independence, and plug-and-play integration. Its versatile capacity to store both electricity and waste heat, combined with its consistent performance over 20-30 years, makes it adaptable to a wide range of industrial needs.
How does the ETES system developed under SEHRENE differ from existing energy storage solutions in terms of efficiency and sustainability?
The SEHRENE ETES system offers significant advantages over existing energy storage solutions like Li-ion batteries and pumped hydro in terms of efficiency and sustainability. It targets a high Round Trip Efficiency (RTE) of 80-85%, potentially exceeding 100% when industrial waste heat (IWH) is utilized, compared to Li-ion's 75-90% and pumped hydro's 65-80%. Economically, its Levelized Cost of Storage (LCOS) is projected at 80-137 €/MWh, making it more cost-effective than pumped hydro, and its at-scale Capital Expenditure (CAPEX) of 257-325 €/kWh is notably lower than Li-ion batteries (700-1300 €/kWh). From a sustainability perspective, SEHRENE ETES uses no critical raw materials, employs working fluids with ultra-low Global Warming Potential (GWP <10) and net-zero ozone depletion potential, and is designed for high recyclability of its steel, organic working fluids, PCMs, and metallic components. It boasts a longer operational lifetime of 20-30 years (2-3 times that of Li-ion) and enables 8-12 times longer storage durations (up to 48 hours). Furthermore, it is geographically independent, unlike pumped hydro, allowing for broader deployment.
What specific roles and responsibilities does Technovative Solutions hold within the SEHRENE project?
Technovative Solutions (TVS) plays a crucial role in the SEHRENE project, particularly through its development of the Decision Support System (DSS). The DSS is a digital platform designed to assist industries in evaluating the economic and environmental feasibility of deploying Electro-Thermal Energy Storage (ETES) systems. By combining techno-economic and environmental impact analyses, the DSS empowers stakeholders to make informed decisions about the viability of energy storage solutions, considering factors such as energy pricing, sustainability, and long-term efficiency. In addition, TVS is responsible for creating Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) models to assess the environmental impact of ETES use case scenarios. This involves conducting comparative environmental performance evaluations of the three ETES use case scenarios with the state-of-the-art (SOA) technologies, such as lead acid batteries and Li-ion batteries. The LCA analysis includes an examination of raw material usage, energy consumption, and emissions throughout the full lifecycle, from production to end-of-life disposal. The LCA analysis will evaluate the environmental impact of ETES mainly on the four categories, which are Human Health, Climate Change, Resource Consumption and Ecosystem Quality. This comprehensive approach ensures that the ETES system is energy-efficient and minimizes its carbon footprint at every stage of its lifecycle.
Can you elaborate on the development of the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) models for the ETES components and their significance in assessing environmental performance?
The importance of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) in SEHRENE cannot be overstated. By developing comprehensive LCA models for the heat pumps, thermal energy storage units, and ORC components, TVS is providing crucial insights into the environmental performance of the system. The LCA models are used to assess factors such as raw material usage, emissions, and energy consumption during the production, operation, and disposal phases of each ETES component. This holistic evaluation ensures that the system is as sustainable as possible, not just in terms of energy efficiency but also in minimising environmental impact across its entire lifecycle. The significance of these models lies in their ability to provide a detailed comparative environmental performance evaluation of SEHRENE's ETES against other energy storage solutions like Li-ion batteries and green H2, aiming for a more favorable LCA. The results from these models are directly integrated into the Decision Support System (DSS), providing potential end-users with essential environmental data to inform investment decisions that align with the European Green Deal's goals, such as minimizing waste and limiting Critical Raw Materials. Additionally, the LCA models will also help identify potential areas for optimization, reducing environmental impacts while improving the overall efficiency and cost-effectiveness of the ETES system.
What progress has been made in developing the Decision Support System (DSS) for ETES deployment?
Technovative Solutions is making significant strides in developing the Decision Support System (DSS) for ETES deployment.
The ETES architecture, including the Graphical User Interface (GUI), has been developed. Additionally, both the back-end algorithms and the front-end interfaces for the thermodynamic models, related to the pre-design of the three use case scenarios, have been implemented. Development of the component-wise economic model for cost analysis, as well as the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) models for environmental impact analysis, is currently underway. Work on the front-end and back-end integration of these economic and environmental modules within the DSS for the use case scenarios will begin shortly using data provided by relevant partners. Model tuning is still in progress.
What potential do you see for ETES in contributing to Europe's goals for climate neutrality and energy transition?
The potential of ETES to contribute to Europe’s climate neutrality goals is significant. As a sustainable and scalable energy storage solution, ETES can help decarbonize sectors like energy-intensive industries and renewable energy producers, which are essential to Europe’s energy transition strategy. SEHRENE’s ETES system is designed to store excess renewable energy during periods of low demand and release it when needed, reducing reliance on fossil fuels and enhancing grid stability. With the EU targeting carbon neutrality by 2050, ETES systems will be crucial in achieving these ambitious goals by facilitating the integration of renewable energy into the grid and helping stabilize energy supply and demand. SEHRENE plans to begin commercial deployment of ETES technology by 2029, with the aim of capturing 1% of the storage market by 2040, while avoiding 90 million cubic meters of natural gas and preventing 15 million tons of CO2 emissions annually.
SEHRENE project is being funded under the Horizon Europe program with Project ID-101135763.
