SEHRENE: EC’s latest Electro-Thermal Energy Storage solution

Acknowledging the necessity of shifting to renewable energy, the SEHRENE project attempts to bridge a crucial gap in Europe's energy system: medium and long-duration storage capacity. SEHRENE project is focusing on introducing its cutting-edge Electro-Thermal Energy Storage (ETES) solution

SEHRENE: an overview

The European Commission's ambitious Net Zero Industry Act, which aims to manufacture 40% of Europe's strategic energy technologies in Europe by 2030, has set the stage for the Store Electricity and Heat foR climatE Neutral Europe (SEHRENE) project. Acknowledging the necessity of shifting to renewable energy, the SEHRENE project attempts to bridge a crucial gap in Europe's energy system: medium and long-duration storage capacity. Although there has been a lot of progress in recent years with short-duration energy storage solutions that can handle daily peak demands, longer-duration storage has not received as much attention. SEHRENE project is focusing on introducing its cutting-edge Electro-Thermal Energy Storage (ETES) solution.

To address the technological obstacles impeding the effectiveness of current ETES approaches, SEHRENE's proposal is centered around a disruptive architecture. SEHRENE's ETES is expected to outperform conventional storage technologies with round-trip efficiencies of 80–85% by optimising the efficiency of both "power-to-heat" and "heat-to-power" conversions.

The SEHRENE ETES system comprises a High-Temperature Heat Pump (HT HP), a Thermal Energy Storage (TES) unit, and an Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) for converting stored heat back into electricity. This integrated approach ensures reversibility and enables storage durations 6-12 times longer than conventional batteries, with low Levelised Cost of Storage (LCOS) ranging from 80 to 137€/MWh.

Moreover, SEHRENE boasts several environmental and practical advantages, including high recyclability, geographical independence, and plug-and-play integration. Its flexibility to store electricity and waste heat, coupled with stable performance over 20-30 years, positions it as a versatile solution for various use cases across industries.

The project's roadmap includes the development of an integrated TRL5 experimental prototype of the ETES and digital twins for three distinct use cases relevant to energy-intensive industries (EII), distribution system operators (DSO), and renewable energy (RE) producers. Additionally, a Decision-Support System (DSS) tool will be provided to facilitate industrial uptake and investment in ETES demonstrator projects.

Role of TVS in the Project

TVS will play a crucial role in the SEHRENE project by contributing expertise in Environmental Performance Analysis {Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)}, and Decision Support Systems (DSS). Specifically, TVS is tasked with developing LCA models for key components of the Electro-Thermal Energy Storage (ETES) system, namely the high-temperature heat pump (HP), Thermal Energy Storage (TES), and Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC). These models, created using SimaPro commercial software and following established international standards, will assess the sustainability of the ETES from cradle to grave, providing valuable insights into its environmental impact.

Furthermore, TVS is responsible for conducting comparative environmental performance analyses of the SEHRENE ETES against state-of-the-art (SoA) energy storage options such as lead-acid and Lithium-ion batteries. This analysis, facilitated by data sharing among project partners, will help evaluate the environmental advantages of the ETES and its suitability for different integration scales and industrial applications.

Technovative Solution Limited (TVS)'s expertise in developing decision support systems (DSS) is instrumental in the project's objective of enabling feasibility studies for ETES deployment across various industrial settings. By leveraging their proficiency in techno-economic-environmental performance analysis, TVS will contribute to developing a DSS that provides optimal specifications for ETES implementation tailored to diverse storage requirements and integration scales. This DSS will aid stakeholders, including grid operators, energy-intensive industries (EIIs), and renewable energy (RE) producers, in making informed decisions regarding ETES adoption.

The SEHRENE Project aligns with the EU's circular economy and net-zero concepts by prioritising resource efficiency, promoting renewable energy integration, providing extended storage durations, ensuring economic viability, offering versatile and decentralised solutions, and incorporating comprehensive life cycle assessments to minimise environmental impact. These aspects contribute to the EU's broader goals of achieving a sustainable, circular, and net-zero economy.

SEHRENE kick-off meeting

The two-day SEHRENE project kick-off meeting was successfully held on 24-25 January 2024 at CEA, Grenoble, France. Representatives from all the 11 partners joined the meeting in person or remotely. The kick-off meeting outlines key agreements and commitments among project stakeholders. The resolution covers aspects such as project overview, roles and responsibilities, timeline and milestones, budget and financial management, risk management, ethical considerations, communication and dissemination, intellectual property and data sharing, and project monitoring and evaluation. It establishes a framework for collaboration, ensuring clarity on objectives, timelines, and expectations. The representatives of the project consortium formally agreed to provide a solid foundation for the successful implementation of the project. The next consortium meeting is a meeting of the Project Steering Committee (PSC) and will be held remotely in month four.

Technovative Solution Limited (TVS) will lead the work package 6,’ Sustainability analysis and DSS’, and followed by the kick-off, TVS is now building a team to start work on the WP6. The first TVS deliverable is due in the month twenty. TVS's contribution to the SEHRENE project lies in their specialised knowledge and capabilities in life cycle assessment (environmental impact analysis), and decision support system (DSS) development. Therefore, their expertise will help evaluate the sustainability of the ETES, comparing it with existing energy storage options, and providing guidance for its successful implementation across industrial sectors.