Following a research project conducted from 2018-2019 at a laboratory scale called Suntrap, Khalifa University, Masdar, and Azelio AB (Sweden) signed a new research collaborative agreement in September 2019 to install Azelio’s electrical thermal energy storage system at the Masdar Institute Solar Platform in summer 2020.
The innovative system utilizes recycled aluminum used as a phase change material (PCM) to store electricity or heat as thermal energy and can be applied to renewable energy in general (photovoltaic (PV), concentrated solar power (CSP), or wind) or to excess grid electricity. A Stirling engine can convert this stored heat into electricity on demand. The pilot will be installed at MISP. It will be charged using clean electricity from PV panels and will produce 50 kW of electricity at night to power the Masdar Park.
