Due to the variable heat and power demand of a large industrial plant, different ways of generation with different levels and types of energy storage can be compared to find the perfect match for aiding autonomy. This will help answer the questions like is generating a constant amount of heat and power better than modulation? How autonomous can be the plant be using storage? Can energy storage reduce CO₂ emissions? What type of storage is best suited for an industrial application?

This part of the project focuses on providing storage technology for industries that have a high thermal demand, met by a combined heat and power (CHP) plant.

During the process of heat generation, there are times when excess electricity is produced. Compressed Air Energy Storage (CAES) was chosen as a suitable method of exploiting the excess electricity by compressing air into an airtight space. The compressed air is then expanded and combusted to run a turbine during times of electricity deficit. According to Chen et al ^[5] CAES is designed to sustain frequent start-up/shut-down cycles, has a long storage period, provides high efficiency and is low in capital cost. The storage efficiency is in the range of 70-89% and the capital cost ranges between $400-800 per kW.

For finding a suitable thermal storage technology, detailed analysis was required as thermal storage is not currently being implemented in industry on a commercial scale. The following sections describe the different types of technologies considered and parameters used to assess them.