Taming the Grid-White Paper

©2011 ThermalCUBE™Energy, llc Taming the Smart Grid p. 1 of 9

Taming the Grid Integration, Storage, & Balance

Abstract With realizations that technology has long surpassed the at-capacity Electrical Grid, which has survived well beyond its original Life-expectancy, there is a ground swell of activity to update, renovate, expand, and create a more sustainable power delivery system: the Smart Grid. Difficulty of incorporating Renewables' dynamic power productions, leveling extreme variations in use demands, and maintenance of moment-to-moment power quality in a cost effective way have always been and continue to be at the forefront of un-resolved issues. By dissecting and analyzing the uses and schedules of buildings' daily power consumption, incorporating state of the art bi-directional communications systems, and inserting separate storage to individual users' sites, the timing difficulties of the past and present associated with the Grid may quite easily be addressed. By incorporating new and existing technologies side by side to co-function and coexist, new opportunities are created, new energy sources embraced, better efficiencies are found, and lower environmental impacts occur, benefiting everyone. The purpose of this white paper is to explore the possibilities and details of ThermalCUBE™ Energy's concepts for incorporating widespread Thermal Energy Storage for onsite storage and use, and how to create very positive impacts towards a better world by Taming the Smart Grid. Steven Bauman CEO ThermalCUBE™Energy, llc May 2011

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Taming the Grid Integration, Storage, & Balance

Three large unresolved issues of the Electrical Grid are:

• Integration of Renewable Energy Power into the Grid without negative impacts;

• How to effectively store unwanted or minimally desired power until a later time for more

valued use; and,

• How to balance the disparity between the wastes of nighttime produced electrical power

and the extreme competition for acquisition of scarce daytime peak demand power.

Once these issues are addressed at least in part, and implemented, the Grid will evolve quickly

and begin transformation into a leaner more efficient and happier supply system for all involved.

Questions that need asking:

What if . . . the Smart Grid enables Renewable Energies' integration into the Grid by direct use of

its electrical power at the exact time of production, absorbing 95 to 100% of the sources' available

output without overloading the network?

What if . . . balance of value and use is created between Daytime and Nighttime power through

storage banking for later use when it's use is more desirable?

What if . . . we embrace Demand Side Management (DSM) by enabling balance through on-site

harvest of power produced off-peak and storage for use during the Peak Daytime demand times,

flattening the demand curve while lessening the stresses caused to the electrical Grid?

What if . . .

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• 40% of each building's electrical power load is removed from the daytime Grid? • Renewable energy is stored on-site for use when it's needed?

• What if the Carbon Footprint of the Grid is lowered by over 30%? • The value of Day and Night is equal?

• The Daytime Peak Power Demand Curve is leveled out? • Time is easily shifted for 18 hours?

• Renewable energies are integrated into the Grid without negative impact? • Brownouts are a thing of the past?

• The SmartGrid were Brilliant?

The Smart Grid is the improvement of the existing electrical Grid to incorporate real time data and

communications into real-time production supply and to meet demand with minimal wastes and

system stresses while increasing both efficiencies and capacities. The integration between the old

and new will transform the ways energy is delivered, stored, and used to achieve a new paradigm

of infrastructure capabilities, incorporate both existing and upcoming technologies, and

accommodate future changes in our high energy lifestyles.

Independent System Operators (ISOs) and Utilities Aggregators are already in the midst of a huge

collaboration to build-out many smart grid programs and their related technologies. These

improvements will create fundamental changes in the efficiency of electric transmission and

distribution operations throughout the Grid. The solutions of the Smart Grid will be real solutions

that will accommodate both existing and future power generation technology at all scales: from

distributed small independent alternative sources to corporate conglomerates. There are still

several issues to address in the process, but whatever the old & new components become, it's

obvious that they all need to be co-functional and coexist in order to achieve the Smart Grid's

larger goals.

Timing is Everything

The Smart Grid's primary improvements to the Grid center around energy storage to address the

three fundamental operational time scale issues of: Power Quality (minimum response times in


seconds-to assure continual quality of energy supply); Bridging Power (responses within minutes

when switching sources to assure continuity of power service); and Energy Management (response

up to hours of decoupling generation from consumption to buffer spikes and lags).

Historically, the variety of available energy storage mechanisms could not effectively address all

three timing areas of the Grid effectively (both mechanically and cost) so they were discounted as

viable solutions. With the Smart Grid's inclusion of bi-directional communication between

sources, storage, and uses as part of its upgrades, the timing game is rapidly changing.

If the types of building power-use demands are segregated and their compatible storage

mechanisms coupled-up with them to address the largest timing issues directly associated with the

specific use, the solutions become more scaleable, manageable, and cost effective producing real

and positive incremental impacts on the Grid's performance.

Of a building's average energy use on a daily basis, one of the largest primary needs is for

tempering of air or water. Tempering demands 45% to 50% of an average building's overall

energy footprint. If this thermal energy were converted from electrical energy when it was readily

available and cost effective, then stored on-site for later use as needed or desired in thermal energy

storage modules, all three of the Grid timing issues listed above would be addressed.

Power Quality would be consistent with the conversion to thermal energy already having been

performed. There would be no lag time for compressors to 'cool-down' or equipment heat-

up/condensation issues from 'short-cycling'. The required thermal energy would be at the location

waiting to be pumped to the distribution equipment.

Bridging Power needs are addressed by having the thermal energy stored so there is no immediate

need for the Grid power to be utilized at critical times during source changes by the Utility

Aggregator or ISO.


Energy Management is resolved by having the hardware and programming in place to ramp-up

and use dedicated sources such as Renewables (wind, solar, or wave) as primary power sources-

the thermal storage modules become the key player for integrating the Renewable Energy into the

Grid without negative impacts, acting as the desired dampening delay to buffer any spikes or lags

between source and use.

Renewables' Integration Utilizing on-site distributed thermal storage battery modules placed at the sites of Electrical

Aggregator's utility clients' buildings throughout their service areas allows for energy use where

and when needed WITHOUT any impact on the Grid at the time of users' actual power use. The

Thermal modules should be Grid connected to the Renewable Energy Farms with the storage

modules' control system in constant bi-directional communication with the Renewable Energy

generators via secured radio telemetry. This connection creates instant reactions to the changing

power outputs and creates instant ramp-up or down of the Thermal storage modules to

appropriately absorb, convert, and store the converted electrical energy as thermal energy awaiting

later use-demand from the building's utility systems for tempering. . . Taming the Grid through

Renewables' Integration.

The installation and use of distributed Thermal Storage into the Grid system for Taming the Grid

is the equivalent of creating a Savings account for the Grid. 'Deposits' can be made whenever its

convenient and 'Withdrawals' can be made as needed and required to meet the ongoing power

needs of a building, often replacing, sometimes supplementing the available Grid power.

By assessing the energy footprints of each individual building in the utility service area and the

daily energy forecasting data, the thermal storage system can be customized for the exact profile

needs of the users and programmed to absorb the desired amounts of energy from the programmed

sources for specific site uses over the course of twenty four hours.


Benefits of Ownership

Distributed thermal storage systems are to be owned by the local power aggregators or the ISOs

and located at utility clients' (end-users') building sites. This distribution aids in relieving stress on

the Grid from demand flux or changing of sources. By utilizing Distributed thermal storage

systems, Aggregators can easily comply with their state's requirements for Renewable Portfolios

Standards (RPS) levels and utilize the energy in their client service area as a premium, rather than

a cost of doing business. Users ultimately save money from shared savings from the Aggregators,

plus they experienced increased reliability of their power without brownouts during peak daytime

demand times, as well as having Renewables available at a reduced cost compared to the existing

business model.

Aggregators benefit from dependable delivery of power to meet their clients' buildings' thermal

needs, as well as reliable integration of dynamic rogue power production from Renewable

electrical generation sources. Additional benefit is found in that the State mandated % of

Renewable Energies RPS (and their RECs) can be directly utilized within their client territory by

the Aggregators without additional cost overheads, potentially increasing profit center for up-

charges on 'green energy'.

Shift

Thermal Storage systems shift power sourcing away from Grid-tied daytime peak energy demand

usage for daily periods up to 10 hours. Instead they utilize site stored thermal energies converted

from electrical energy directly harvested from Renewable/Alternative power sources. Thermal

Storage systems can instantly ramps-up (or down) on demand, coordinating time and amounts of

required storage with the exact time and rates of electrical generation from specified Renewable

Energy farm sources. These stored amounts of thermal power are drawn down on a pre-

programmed schedule to offset the high cost and scarcity of daytime peak demand energy-reading

the Thermal Storage units ready to receive recharge when Renewable energies are being produced.

In the event that there is an extended lull in Renewable energy productions for mechanical or

meteorological reasons, the Thermal Storage units are grid tied and programmed to utilize

traditional energy sources as required until the lull has passed.


Typical Grid use profile using Thermal Storage

Typical Grid use profile without Thermal Storage

0 hours 24 hours

Power Levels

Peak Demand

Nighttime Daytime

Nighttime

common load

Electrical Grid Demand Profiles

12 hours

with with

without out

Shown below is a graphic representation of the Grid demand Profiles for both with and without

using Thermal Storage as a mechanism for flattening the daily demand curve.

Previous existing grid tied installations of Thermal Storage technologies of traditionally produced

power have proven a shift of 40% to 50% in demand load for buildings during the course of a

day, based on the existing thermal requirements of buildings-without additional conservation

measures. This means that 40% to 50% of the daily demand was shifted from sourcing electrical

power produced during daytime hours to sourcing electrical power produced during the offpeak

and/or night time hours. The buildings' demand schedule did NOT change during these uses, only

the time sourcing (hours) of the original input sourcing of electricity. The total energy demanded

by the buildings on a daily basis did NOT change excepting for specific weather events and

seasonal dynamics.

Installation

Installation occurs at the Utility Client's building site as distributed storage. The Thermal Energy

Storage modules interface with the existing mechanical equipments already found on-site for

retro-fit installs, or can be tailored to any equipment configurations for new construction. The

modules are grid tied and have bi-directional communication capability to link the to Renewable

resources, if desired.


Distributed on-site Thermal Storage is an extension of Smart building planning that is currently in

process by most leading Architects in the US and Europe to facilitate Smart Grid transitions and

future needs. These installations will show a lessening demand on the stressed grid, with a

dynamic shifting based on the energy production of the natural sources of wind and solar. The

direct cost benefits are to the energy producer, grid hardware owner, and end users.

Here's an analogy to help understand how it works:

Using Thermal Storage systems works like a Savings account for the electrical Grid. Electrical

Deposits can be made at anytime or any source from the Grid, but the ones that reap the most


rewards with the highest returns are the Renewables and Night Deposits-which cost very little

(and sometimes pay you) to acquire. These Electrical Deposits are absorbed, converted to thermal

energy, and stored until needed for use at a more valuable time.

Continuing with the Savings account analogy: Withdrawals can also be done at anytime, but the

best Return on Investment are those that occur during the costly daytime peak demand of the Grid,

where the thermal energy is typically used for Air Conditioning, Heat, or Hot water in buildings.

This combination of Deposits and Withdrawal actions create a Balance between the over capacity

peak Day & under used Night Grid power. By Shifting the Nighttime power into Daytime use-

avoiding the high cost of competitive auction-bid peak demand power supply, GREAT cost

savings are realized daily. The balance between differential costs of these day & night systems

recovers a wasted resource resulting in lower costs and lower carbon footprint while creating a

strong new profit center for the Utility Aggregators, owner of the Thermal Storage systems.

In Conclusion

By recognizing the abilities and far reaching positive effects of Thermal Storage systems placed

on distributed sites in conjunction with existing equipments throughout the service districts; by

fully and accurately assessing the energy footprints on a building by building basis, and correctly

sizing and installing Thermal Storage systems designed to meet their specific thermal energy

needs within each building; and by utilizing secure communication technology and software to

communicate directly between electrical power production sources and Thermal Energy Storage

systems a new and more robust energy world will evolve as we overcome the three elusive

dilemmas that have continually faced Grid management:

Integration of Renewables' energy into the Grid without negative impacts

Balance of value and use is created between Daytime and Nighttime power

and

Flattening the daytime demand curve . . .

Thermal Energy Storage systems' time has arrived!

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Taming the Grid-White Paper