Thinking and innovating for the future

MicroEra Power is developing THERMAplus™, a four-season on-site thermal energy storage solution which enhances Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) systems, to empower commercial building managers with tools to control heating and cooling loads and costs.

We are working with support from NYSERDA and the U.S. Department of Energy. Fortify your buildings with resilient, low-cost, low-carbon Heating and Cooling.

Opening Possibilities for Clean and Smart Cities

Differentiated Technology

Industry leading Phase Change Materials (PCM)

  • 7x the termal energy density of hot/chilled water
  • 2x energy density of conventional PCMs
  • Tunability: One tank that can be tuned for storing heating or cooling
  • Safety: Low volatility, non-flammable, locally sourced materials
Compatible with water based chillers and heat pumps, without requiring the use of ice-making chillers and glycol antifreeze in the building loop
Integrated predictive and adaptive system works seamlessly with your HVAC building management system and gives you autonomy

What does THERMAplus™ do?

By integrating THERMAplus™ with a building’s chiller or heat pump and using off-peak electricity to charge our proprietary PCM, we provide low cost, low carbon, resilient heating and cooling. Our smart controls optimize the system to perform automatically to save money and keep people comfortable.

What are the benefits?

Building owners save up to 50% on heating and cooling operating costs. Payback from energy savings can be achieved in under 3 years. If your building has onsite renewable sources (such as solar PV or wind turbines), THERMAplus™ enables you to store extra on-site generation to meet later thermal loads.

What is a Phase Change Material (PCM)?

A solid/liquid PCM stores latent heat during the freezing and melting process of the material. A large amount of energy is released and absorbed during the phase change over a small temperature difference. Our PCMs are formulated to exactly match the temperatures needed for hot water/chilled water HVAC systems.

What is load shifting?

Driven by the clean energy transition and electrification trends, many utilities use Demand Charges or Time of Use (TOU) rates, which make peak electricity much more expensive than off peak electricity. The difference between on-peak and off-peak electricity rates differ by region, but this gap is increasing rapidly due to increase in renewable energy adoption and electrification. THERMAplus™ shifts HVAC loads from expensive and carbon intensive on peak hours to off peak hours to leverage cheaper and less carbon intensive electricity.

Before THERMAplusAfter THERMAplus

THERMAplus
Your Building Greener

Renewable Integration

THERMAplus™ integrates with retrofits of existing buildings, and new builds. In addition to peak load reduction, THERMAplus™ can be used to maximize the use of zero-carbon renewable electricity when it is abundant and inexpensive. With appropriate tariffs, this can monetize surplus off-site renewables (avoiding curtailment) or maximize the value of on-site renewables

HVAC and Geothermal Integration

  • Compatible with chillers, heat pumps, boilers, and CHP systems
  • Integration with Air Source & Water Source Heat Pumps with up to 50% efficiency Improvement (based on running  at times with optimal temperature)
  • Integration with Geothermal Heat Pumps to reduce ground loop by up to 80%