Decarbonize Heat with Seasonal Thermal Energy Storage
Seasonal Thermal Energy Storage (STES) offers one of the best solutions to decarbonizing heating, efficiently producing heat for buildings of all sizes while keeping emissions low. It brings heat production closer to where it’s needed, making green heating simple and effective.
What is Seasonal Thermal Energy Storage?
Seasonal Thermal Energy Storage (STES) is an innovative technology designed for the efficient management of thermal energy. It operates on a cycle that has a six-month charge phase during spring and summer, followed by a six-month discharge phase throughout autumn and winter.
This strategic approach allows the system to capture and store heat from various sources during the warmer months. Then, during the colder months, the stored heat is utilized to warm buildings and provide hot water. The clear division of the year into charge and discharge periods underlines the role of STES in ensuring a consistent and eco-friendly heat supply, significantly reducing the need for fossil fuels and contributing to decarbonization efforts.
How Does Seasonal Thermal Energy Storage Work?
The process starts in the spring, with the sun warming solar collectors. This warmth is used to supply hot water and heat to the building. Should additional heat be required, warm water is supplied to the heat pump, ensuring it operates at peak efficiency. Any surplus heat generated in spring begins the charging phase for the Borehole Thermal Energy Storage (BTES).
As summer arrives, the focus shifts to increasing the BTES’s charge, directing heat to the building only when necessary. With the onset of cooler autumn weather, the system starts its discharge cycle. The stored heat is either used directly for heating or fed to the heat pump as needed.
Seasonal thermal energy storage can also harness alternative heat sources, such as industrial waste heat, energy production by-products, or surplus district heating. These sources, often discarded due to lack of storage options, become valuable, offering a cost-effective alternative to traditional oil and gas heating. When an extra source of heat is available, the system’s intelligent controller ensures it’s used in the most efficient manner possible.
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What type of heat can be stored?
Our seasonal thermal energy storage can store heat from a wide variety of sources, making it a versatile component in sustainable thermal energy management. We can efficiently store heat captured from solar thermal collectors, regardless of the brand of solar thermal collector used.
Excess heat from district heating networks is another great source of thermal energy as district heating networks tend to have an excess during the summer and a deficit during winter. We can solve this demand-timing issue by saving the summer excess to meet the winter deficit.
Moreover, we can store waste heat from industrial processes and data centers, transforming what is typically an overlooked byproduct into a valuable resource. Additionally, we can harness and store ambient heat within buildings in order to provide cooling, effectively recycling the energy from air conditioning systems for heating purposes. This capability to store diverse types of heat supports a broad spectrum of decarbonization efforts and energy efficiency strategies.
Main Components in the Heliostorage STES Solution
Heliostorage provides a complete technology package necessary for deploying an effective seasonal thermal energy storage solution. Our package features our patented solar thermal collectors for efficient solar heat capture, paired with our smart controller to precisely manage and optimize heat flows. Central to our system is our innovative borehole thermal energy storage (BTES), designed for the long term storage of heat. Additionally, we add heat pumps and short term storage tanks as needed to meet customer annual thermal demand.
Solar Thermal Collectors
Our solar thermal collectors feature a unique patented design that optimizes heat capture throughout the entire day. This collected heat can then be directly channeled to the building’s hot water tank or stored in thermal storage for future use, ensuring maximum utilization of solar energy.
Borehole Thermal Energy Storage
The BTES functions by transferring heat through collector pipes, which then heats the surrounding soil, transforming the earth into a thermal battery. The core of the BTES retains this heat until it is purposefully discharged to satisfy heating requirements.
Smart Controller
The smart controller acts as the central intelligence of our system, overseeing and managing all heat movements. It dynamically allocates heat where it’s needed most. Through its advanced algorithms, the controller guarantees that the system operates at peak efficiency year-round, optimizing energy use and enhancing overall performance.
Heat Pump (Optional)
The heat pump serves as an optional component within our solution, designed to supplement heating when other sources do not fully cover heating demands. We can integrate an existing heat pump into the system or supply a new one from a selection of top manufacturers, ensuring seamless compatibility and optimal performance.
Solar Thermal Collectors
Our solar thermal collectors feature a unique patented design that optimizes heat capture throughout the entire day. This collected heat can then be directly channeled to the building’s hot water tank or stored in thermal storage for future use, ensuring maximum utilization of solar energy.
Borehole Thermal Energy Storage
The BTES functions by transferring heat through collector pipes, which then heats the surrounding soil, transforming the earth into a thermal battery. The core of the BTES retains this
heat until it is purposefully discharged to satisfy heating requirements.
Smart Controller
The smart controller acts as the central intelligence of our system, overseeing and managing all heat movements. It dynamically allocates heat where it’s needed most. Through its advanced algorithms, the controller guarantees that the system operates at peak efficiency year-round, optimizing energy use and enhancing overall performance.
Heat Pump (Optional)
The heat pump serves as an optional component within our solution, designed to supplement heating when other sources do not fully cover heating demands. We can integrate an existing heat pump into the system or supply a new one from a selection of top manufacturers, ensuring seamless compatibility and optimal performance.
Who Can Benefit From Our STES?
Our Seasonal Thermal Energy Storage is uniquely designed to serve a variety of heating demands, making it a versatile solution for multiple scenarios. For commercial customers, it offers an efficient and sustainable heating solution, meeting the annual heating demand for business premises without the emissions of traditional fossil fuel heating systems.
For industrial customers, the system excels by capturing waste heat from processes, storing it, and then making it available to meet the annual heating demand, thereby significantly reducing energy costs and boosting sustainability efforts.
Furthermore, for district heating networks, Heliostorage proves invaluable by capturing excess heat during the spring and summer, releasing it during the autumn and winter. This allows district heating networks to solve seasonal demand timing issues without the need to burn extra fossil fuels. As an added benefit, the storages can be deployed at multiple locations throughout the district heating network to help with load balancing.
Commercial Heating
Industrial Waste Heat
Distributed District Heating
Commercial Heating
Industrial Waste Heat
Distributed District Heating
Looking for an Alternative Heating Solution?
If your heating needs surpass 300 MWh and you’re exploring ways to minimize your energy expenses, please a request for quotation. Our team will conduct a comprehensive assessment of your requirements and provide you with a detailed quotation, outlining how Heliostorage can benefit you.
