Ice Storage as a Sustainable Facility for the Future: Potential Analysis of Various Regeneration Methods

The stability of the renewable energy supply is affected by daily and seasonal fluctuations of sources such as sun, wind, and water. In this context, ice storage systems are a promising solution for buffering the aforementioned fluctuations. This work is an investigation of ice storage systems combined with three different regeneration sources: ambient air, solar energy, and geothermal energy. The study encompasses three distinct geographical locations, each characterized by a different climatic condition. These include an alpine region in Obergurgl, a temperate area in the Inn Valley region in Innsbruck, and a southern climate in Florence. A MATLAB simulation is employed to calculate the behavior of the ice storage system over the course of a year. This is done for each location with each of the regeneration methods to facilitate a comparative analysis of the effectiveness of the three regeneration methods under the different climatic conditions. It is determined that geothermal energy via deep drilling is especially suitable for colder regions such as Obergurgl and Innsbruck. The use of solar energy such as PVT collectors results in the greatest limitations, as the heat generated during the summer months cannot be dissipated. Furthermore, when comparing an ice storage system to a system where the energy supply is solely based on geothermal energy, it becomes evident that the ice storage system offers significant advantages in terms of space requirements and costs. The results of this thesis demonstrate the true potential of ice storage systems in terms of energy efficiency, economic viability, and spatial requirements.