Seasonal thermal energy storage (STES), also known as inter-seasonal thermal energy storage, is the storage of heat or cold for periods of up to several months. The thermal energy can be collected whenever it is available and be used whenever needed, such as in the opposing season. For example, heat from solar collectors or from air conditioning equipment can be gathered in hot months for space heating use when needed, including during winter months.
What is seasonal thermal energy storage (STES)?
Seasonal thermal energy storage (STES), also known as inter-seasonal thermal energy storage, is the storage of heat or cold for periods of up to several months. The thermal energy can be collected whenever it is available and be used whenever needed, such as in the opposing season.
Is a cold Utes system a viable solution for data centers?
“Our expectation is that a Cold UTES system can provide a long-duration energy storage and industrial-scale cooling solution that is commercially attractive and technically viable for data centers,” said Jeff Winick, technology manager at DOE's Geothermal Technologies Office.
Can cold Utes reduce data center energy costs?
Ultimately, the project hopes to reduce strain on the grid from data centers, reduce the energy cost to data centers, and reduce the cost of data center cooling systems. The ability of Cold UTES to efficiently deliver seasonal storage could also help reduce seasonal curtailments of wind and solar generating facilities.
What are some examples of solar thermal storage?
A number of examples of the use of solar thermal storage from across the world include: Suffolk One a college in East Anglia, England, that uses a thermal collector of pipe buried in the bus turning area to collect solar energy that is then stored in 18 boreholes each 100 metres (330 ft) deep for use in winter heating.
What is a borehole thermal energy storage system?
BTES (borehole thermal energy storage). BTES stores can be constructed wherever boreholes can be drilled, and are composed of one to hundreds of vertical boreholes, typically 155 mm (6.1 in) in diameter. Systems of all sizes have been built, including many quite large.
What is a heat storage medium?
The heat (or cold) storage medium is the water and the substrate it occupies. Germany's Reichstag building has been both heated and cooled since 1999 with ATES stores, in two aquifers at different depths. A significant system has been operating at Richard Stockton College (New Jersey) for several years.