CIC energigune - energy coperative research centre

EU-funded research project develops materials for thermal energy storage

While striving for the reduction of fossile energy consumption and CO₂ emission in order to stabilise the world's climate, new ways of collecting and storing heat are needed. One way to tackle this challenge is thermal energy storage that will facilitate and allow for the amplified use of renewable energy sources, increase efficiencies, capture waste heat and provide more flexibility of the energy system at low cost. Thermal storage, however, requires research on high-density storage technology, with the development of advanced phase change materials as well as significant reduction of the associated specific costs. This is exactly what the SAM.SSA project will deliver.

SAM.SSA - Sugar Alcohol based Materials for Seasonal Storage Applications - is funded in the 7th Framework Programme of the European Union and aims at developing new phase change materials, i.e. substances with a high fusion heat which, melting and solidifying at a certain temperature, are capable of storing and releasing large amounts of energy, for thermal energy storage applications in the range of medium temperatures. Existing phase change materials are hardly suitable for thermal energy seasonal storage applications due to insufficient energy densities and due to the high risk of solidification during the storage period because of their specific melting points. These challenges will all be overcome by the materials proposed in SAM.SSA. The project partners will develop molecular alloys based on sugar alcohols, so called MASA, whose melting point can be adjusted, which have an increased energy density and for which the risk of solidification can be minimized. Right from the start of the project the research will be oriented towards future applications of the products in the building sector and will be guided by requirements imposed by such applications.

With an overall budget of roughly 4 million euros and 9 partners from 7 European countries, the SAM.SSA project is coordinated by the Centre National de Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) in France. April 2012 marked the start of the project with the Kick-Off Meeting at CNRS' regional base in Bordeaux, France. On this occasion the project partners settled the basis for carrying out the planned work within the project's lifetime of 3 years. The specialised experience of all partners in their dedicated field of research will ensure the project's success.

Consortium:

• Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, France
• Rhodia Opérations, France
• Fraunhofer Gesellschaft zur Förderung der angewandten Forschung e.V., Germany
• Insitutul National de Cercetare - Dezvoltare Pentru Metale Neferoase Si Rare (IMNR), Romania
• Technische Universiteit Eindhoven, The Netherlands
• Centro de Investigación Cooperativa de Energías Alternativas Fundación, Spain
• Asociación de Investigación de las Industrias de la Construcción, Spain
• Phase Change Material Products Ltd., United Kingdom
• European Research and Project Office GmbH, Germany