Analysing Thermal Energy Storage in Residential Buildings: Towards Decarbonization of the Heating Sector

MSc thesis of Celine van der Veen

Decarbonizing the heating sector is challenging because of the intermittent nature of renewable energy sources. Furthermore, electrifying the heating sector might cause problems in managing national electricity grids. These challenges can be overcome by combining different storage techniques, such as thermal energy storage tanks for single-household use. This thesis looks into the feasibility of such a buffer tank, by comparing different scenarios for residential heating systems. It was found that residential heating systems consisting of Photovoltaic Thermal (PVT) modules and a Thermal Energy Storage System (TESS) have a payback time that lies within the lifetime of the applied technologies. However, the heating demand could not be satisfied throughout the entire year without adding an additional heat source, such as a heat pump.