SolSafe combines smart, cost-effective and efficient energy storage to heat homes and businesses using otherwise lost energy.
Background and Opportunity
In 2020, the UK government announced its new Future Homes Standard. This Standard includes that no new homes built after 2025 will use non-renewable carbon boilers. SolSafe presents an option for new and replacement boiler installations. As a low-carbon heating system, SolSafe can be adopted as an alternative to help lower CO2 emissions, aiding the UK in its target of reaching net-zero emissions by 2050.
“potential installations of SolSafe in over 34-million homes.”
UK Gov stats
The UK sells 1.67-million gas and oil boilers annually, which, on average, need to be replaced every 20-years. 85% of the 29-million homes in the UK rely on gas boilers. Additionally, there are approximately 2-million homes that are not connected to the gas grid, and 1.5-million of these off-grid homes use oil boilers. As the UK Government is committed to building around 1.5-million new homes by 2022, this represents potential installations of SolSafe in over 34-million homes.
Scottish government statistics show that areas not connected to the natural gas grid have high proportions of fuel poverty. Allowing consumers to store unwanted energy within SolSafe and use this for
heat, enables users to benefit from Time of Use, Economy 7 and smart tariffs without resorting to inefficient and expensive conventional night storage heaters.
SolSafe is a – patent pending – cost-effective gas and oil boiler replacement.
SolSafe has the potential to change the domestic and commercial heating market.
SolSafe is charged using excess energy from auxiliary power sources, such as solar and wind, that would otherwise be idle during times of low demand, or lost if a surplus was created.
SolSafe is a highly efficient thermal store that heats water used by any common domestic or commercial wet radiant heating system.
SolSafe works in tandem with existing boilers, enabling consumers to keep their existing heating infrastructure, whilst making it more efficient and cost-effective.
SolSafe can be retrofitted into existing properties easier than a water or concrete thermal store, and can be used in parallel with common existing wet boiler and radiator systems, minimising the use of fossil fuels and the risk and cost of transferring homes to a completely new technology.
Due to its high thermal efficiency, SolSafe allows the heat to be directed where and when it is required, minimizing wasted heat and improving energy efficiency.
SolSafe can also follow the electricity demand cycle of the home where installed, to reduce energy consumption and power wastage.
SolSafe combines smart, cost-effective energy storage with energy efficiency. SolSafe is charged using excess energy, this means SolSafe can level the grid by consuming inexpensive, off-peak, unwanted power, then return this to the consumer in the form of heat. Storing the power removes the need to generate heat using fossil fuels and reduces the energy consumption at peak power times. Where rooftop solar is more common, such as in England and Europe, the problem of local voltage fluctuations caused by these panels can be reduced by SolSafe, as it pulls in and stores the energy when it is unable to be used.
We have planned commercial and domestic variants of SolSafe, whose capacity can be scaled depending on the end users’ needs.
SolSafe offers significant savings when scaling for commercial use, as the insulation thickness doesn’t have to increase. As an example, a SolSafe model with triple the power capacity for commercial use is only twice the size of a domestic model.
Local manufacturing. Many of the components can be manufactured and assembled locally. Scotland currently has manufacturing facilities with the capability to create this product. Solsafe has the potential to create and resinate jobs.
Cost effective heating for users. Solsafe is 90% cheaper than Lithium-ion batteries for energy storage. Lithium-ion batteries are increasingly used for household energy storage (largely charged by domestic solar panels). SolSafe is also cost-effective compared to air-source sea pumps and ground-source heat pumps.
National infrastructure savings. An estimated 90% of Scotlands heating comes from oil and gas. the transition away from these sources will require huge infrastructure upgrades to maintain current energy distribution. Solsafe reduces the pressure on the National Grids storage infrastructure and will spread the load of demand during future infrastructure upgrades.
Fully Recyclable. At the end of its useful life, SolSafes components can be repaired and reused our recycled.
Eradicate fuel poverty. Utilises cheaper, off-peak power can be retrofitted to existing wet radiant heating systems. When used in conjunction with the National Grids smart meter system, Savings can be made as SolSafe only takes in power when energy is cheapest
Replacements or support existing boilers and wet radiant heat systems. Solsafe can utilise existing infrastructure of wet radiant heating, avoiding the need to replace heating infrastructure.
Allows supply companies to take advantage of distribution credits. These level the grid and ensure supply companies are not penalised for increasing peak demand.
About
The Team
The team has over 100-years’ of combined expertise in physics, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, software design and financial management.
All based in Aberdeen, the team are passionate about SolSafe and its ability to bridge a gap in the international market to provide affordable energy and heat.
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) from all around the world are making the SME Climate Commitment.
SolSafe is proud to be at the forefront of the new wave of Innovative and sustainable solutions tackling the climate crisis.
