Chillin' During Off Peak

A more meaningful unit for ice storage would be mwh/kwh rather than mw/kw. The presence of taxes and subsidies distorts the true economics, according to the principle that "Money is no object, so long as it is somebody else's money."

As witness a $60k solar system recently described on CR4 that cost the owner something like $10k after all the tax breaks and rebates. (And who paid for those, pray tell?)

Actually, ice storage can be economically legit in the right situations. I'm not knocking the technology, but I am deploring the political contamination, which is rife in "green" circles. (Which oftentimes are more about the color of money than the color of the planet.)

I tried to start a thread about that solar installation,...

Recently I read a research paper titled Energy comparison between conventional and chilled water thermal storage( CWTS) air conditioning systems . In this paper researchers from Kuwait demonstrated the use of CWTS system and concluded that this system incorporated with conventional AC system is a good storage option for cooling of buildings in Kuwait climate.

This makes good sense. Please see also "energygod's" posts on a flash ice system that implements ice storage in a new way.

Aren't variations used in colder climates to store solar [or other] heat?

I have read about storing heat in a liquid sodium tank (or other eutectic salt solution), but don't know of any actual installations or budget numbers.

Radiator thermostats, Amot temperature regulating valves, and some types of capillary bulbs use eutectic waxes and other fluids as the actuating medium. There is quite a range of temperatures.

I know the Place Bell Canada building in Ottawa has had an ice storage system since... well I was there in 93. so before that.

The system was used purely to use off-peak hours electricity to provide cooling to the building. (lots of electronics and people in the building, so primary energy cost was cooling) so the ice was made at night, and used to cool the chilled water system during the day.

Chris

I like the use of the term "negawatts"

Maybe Imagiwatts?