Jon Schwartz, Associate Principal, Energy and Power Solutions Group, Carter & Burgess, Inc., Fort Worth, Texas

Opportunity Knocks with Thermal Storage

Control of a facility's cooling-load profile can provide financial and operational advantages: reduced energy costs, utility rebates/revenue, less and easier maintenance and increased capacity, among others. What's the secret? Chilled-water thermal-energy storage (TES). The process involves producing and storing chilled water during low-cost or low-cooling-load periods, then using this stored cold water during peak-load periods. Such a system is recommended for consideration when a facility's peak cooling load occurs for a short or limited duration.