Energy Storage System
STEM® - Solar Thermo-Electric Magaldi

STEM®-RES is the innovative thermal energy storage technology developed and consolidated by Magaldi in recent years, capable of playing a fundamental role in the global decarbonization process. The growing expansion of renewable and intermittent sources of energy requires a stable supply of energy independent of weather conditions: this is the challenge of our Group.

In this context, STEM®-RES proposes itself as the flexible and low-cost solution capable of storing energy in moments of excess and returning it to those in greatest demand.

A STEM®-RES module is composed by:

• Energy storage tank
• Air fluidization system
• Automation and control system

The electrical and/or thermal energy, coming from outside the system, is sent into the storage tank containing a fluidized bed of silica sand, inside which the energy is stored, in order to be returned when required.

The benefit of the STEM®-RES technology is summarized in the following distinctive features:

• Large heat storage capacity (up to the order of GWh), high round-trip thermal efficiency and rapid response times;
• No environmental impact thanks to the use of natural materials;
• Over 30 years of useful life and stable performance over time;
• High flexibility and use in various sectors, from renewables to traditional fossil fuel plants;
• Possibility of operating with thermal and electrical energy;
• Use of fluidized sand bed as storage, which allows to reach high temperatures (over 1,000 °C) and faster response times compared to other currently available thermal energy storage technologies;
• A modular and expandable structure, consisting of standard modules that can be connected in series or parallel to meet different operating needs and adapt to a growing energy demand.

It is therefore the high flexibility and adaptability of STEM®-RES that allows its use in a wide range of applications:

• Integration of renewables in electrical systems, to release the generation from weather conditions and transform intermittent energy flows into a continuous and reliable supply;
• Flexibility of fossil fuel power plants and cogeneration plants, integrated in a power or industrial plant, to increase flexibility and reduce polluting emissions and operating costs;
• Heat storage of industrial processes and reuse of decommissioned power plants, for the recovery of components (e.g. power-block) and the conversion into a high-capacity storage system with zero emissions
• In stand-alone configuration, for operation as an autonomous small-scale generation plant (for example to cover the needs of isolated communities) or on a large scale.

STEM®-RES has been designed with particular attention to the environment using materials that are readily available on the market, fully recyclable, eco-compatible, simple and highly reliable over time. In addition, system components require low maintenance.

STEM®-RES is able to offer electricity, high temperature steam and heat storage providing on demand clean energy for large civil and industrial uses. This energy, thanks to the storage capacity, can also be used in absence of direct radiation, after sunset or during cloudy periods, offering energy availability when required.

The STEM®-RES modules, assembled in a single system, can be managed in series or in parallel, allowing flexible energy generation, reliably and adaptable to the required characteristics. It is possible to add multiple modules in a system, or multiple systems in the same area, to meet a growing energy demand.

STEM®-RES can increase the flexibility of any energy production system, even pre-existing, and optimize its performance through the combination (hybridization) with the surplus of energy deriving from other non-programmable sources present on site (e.g. photovoltaic and wind power).

STEM®-RES is already, in its simplicity, a “disruptive” technology and, thanks to the continuous internal activities of the Research and Development Department in the field of renewable energy innovation, Magaldi is obtaining, testing and validating further important results of the STEM® technology in various sectors and industrial and civil applications.