A unified view of energy storage options for thermal process electrification

Thermal electrification can improve process heating efficiency and reduce scope-1 emissions, but it significantly increases electricity demand and heightens exposure to temporal variability in electricity prices. Recent cost reductions in electrochemical batteries and the emergence of cost-competitive thermal energy storage provide options that make storage a promising enabler for electrified, energy-intensive processes. Implementing storage requires consideration of capital costs as well as optimal operating strategies that account for price variability, demand-side management, and the cost and dynamics of energy storage systems. This work develops an optimization-based analysis framework for integrating energy storage into electrified thermal processes. Novel decision metrics are introduced that provide a unified view of thermal and electrochemical storage, and capture the impact of the magnitude and frequency of electricity price fluctuations relative to storage system characteristics. Using electrified ethylene cracking as a case study representing large-scale, multi-stage, endothermic processes, it is shown that these metrics provide broadly applicable guidelines for selecting energy storage systems for electric heating processes.