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Volume 19
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10.3390/en19153559
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Article

Multi-Variant Economic Feasibility Analysis of Heat Transport Using a Mobile Thermal Energy Storage Unit with a Capacity of 2 MWh

by
Piotr Olczak
1,*,
Dominik Kryzia
1,
Piotr Matusiak
2,
Daniel Kowol
2,
Rafał Baron
2,
Paweł Friebe
2,
Karina Ignasiak
3 and
Agata Czardybon
3
1
Mineral and Energy Economy Research Institute, Polish Academy of Sciences, Wybickiego 7a, 31-261 Krakow, Poland
2
KOMAG Institute of Mining Technology, 44-101 Gliwice, Poland
3
Institute of Energy and Fuel Processing Technology, 41-803 Zabrze, Poland
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Energies 2026, 19(15), 3559; https://doi.org/10.3390/en19153559
Submission received: 2 June 2026 / Revised: 7 July 2026 / Accepted: 9 July 2026 / Published: 29 July 2026
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Abstract

The energy transition entails numerous challenges related to the generation and distribution of various forms of energy and heat. In the case of electricity, these include, among others, challenges associated with transmission; however, these are usually less severe than those related to heat transmission, particularly due to limited access to district heating transmission networks. At the same time, heat storage is considerably less expensive than electricity storage, which means that heat management and balancing are also less costly than balancing electricity generation and demand. These two factors provided the rationale for selecting mobile heat transport from locations where surplus heat is generated to potential end-users as the subject of analysis. In this context, analytical methods were applied to determine the relationship between the economic efficiency of such a solution and selected technical and economic parameters, including CAPEX, OPEX, heat transport costs, and heat prices. The analysis demonstrated that, under current price conditions as of 2025, the economic efficiency of this solution, expressed using the net present value measure, may exceed zero only under specific conditions. These include relatively short transport distances, a high frequency of transport cycles, and favourable heat prices. Nevertheless, in the future, due to potential increases in heat prices or the possibility of subsidising this type of heat transport, particularly with respect to CAPEX, the solution may become economically attractive.
Keywords: heat; energy transport; mobile energy transport; PCM; waste heat; economy evaluation heat; energy transport; mobile energy transport; PCM; waste heat; economy evaluation

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MDPI and ACS Style

Olczak, P.; Kryzia, D.; Matusiak, P.; Kowol, D.; Baron, R.; Friebe, P.; Ignasiak, K.; Czardybon, A. Multi-Variant Economic Feasibility Analysis of Heat Transport Using a Mobile Thermal Energy Storage Unit with a Capacity of 2 MWh. Energies 2026, 19, 3559. https://doi.org/10.3390/en19153559

AMA Style

Olczak P, Kryzia D, Matusiak P, Kowol D, Baron R, Friebe P, Ignasiak K, Czardybon A. Multi-Variant Economic Feasibility Analysis of Heat Transport Using a Mobile Thermal Energy Storage Unit with a Capacity of 2 MWh. Energies. 2026; 19(15):3559. https://doi.org/10.3390/en19153559

Chicago/Turabian Style

Olczak, Piotr, Dominik Kryzia, Piotr Matusiak, Daniel Kowol, Rafał Baron, Paweł Friebe, Karina Ignasiak, and Agata Czardybon. 2026. "Multi-Variant Economic Feasibility Analysis of Heat Transport Using a Mobile Thermal Energy Storage Unit with a Capacity of 2 MWh" Energies 19, no. 15: 3559. https://doi.org/10.3390/en19153559

APA Style

Olczak, P., Kryzia, D., Matusiak, P., Kowol, D., Baron, R., Friebe, P., Ignasiak, K., & Czardybon, A. (2026). Multi-Variant Economic Feasibility Analysis of Heat Transport Using a Mobile Thermal Energy Storage Unit with a Capacity of 2 MWh. Energies, 19(15), 3559. https://doi.org/10.3390/en19153559

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