Thermal storage helps reduce running costs of futuristic building
A Ciat Cristopia thermal-energy storage system and Powerciat water chiller have been specified for a new branch of Mauritius Commercial Bank, which is expected to use 30% less energy than a conventional building of the same size. The new building is in the high-tech Ebene Vyber City in Port Louis.
The orientation of the building (see picture) will be east-west, with glazing on the north and south facades equipped with sunshades and tinted windows to reduce heat transmission. A 3078 m2 solar PV farm will enable an average of 278 kW to be generated during sunny weather to balance the water chiller’s average consumption of 265 kW.
The Cristopia phase-change system will have a cold storage unit with a nominal capacity of 5 MW to store ‘coolth’ overnight when electricity costs less. It also enables a smaller chiller to be to be used — a 1 MW LX unit.
