HEATSTORE Project
| Project partner |
Reza Sohrabi
Benoît Valley |
| Abstract |
The heating and cooling sector is vitally important for the
transition to a low-carbon and sustainable energy system. Heating
and cooling is responsible for half of all consumed final energy in
Europe. The vast majority – 85% - of the demand is fulfilled by
fossil fuels, most notably natural gas. Low carbon heat sources
(e.g. geothermal, biomass, solar and waste-heat) need to be
deployed and heat storage plays a pivotal role in this development.
Storage provides the flexibility to manage the variations in supply
and demand of heat at different scales, but especially the seasonal
dips and peaks in heat demand. Underground Thermal Energy Storage
(UTES) technologies need to be further developed and need to become
an integral component in the future energy system infrastructure to
meet variations in both the availability and demand of energy. The main objectives of the HeatStore project are to lower the cost, reduce risks, improve the performance of high temperature (~25°C to ~90°C) underground thermal energy storage (HT-UTES) technologies and to optimize heat network demand side management (DSM). This is primarily achieved by 6 new demonstration pilots and 8 case studies of existing systems with distinct configurations of heat sources, heat storage and heat utilization. This will advance the commercial viability of HT-UTES technologies and, through an optimized balance between supply, transport, storage and demand, enable that geothermal energy production can reach its maximum deployment potential in the European energy transition. HeatStore is one of nine projects under the GEOTHERMICA – ERA NET Cofund and has the objective of accelerating the uptake of geothermal energy by 1) advancing and integrating different types of underground thermal energy storage (UTES) in the energy system, 2) providing a means to maximize geothermal heat production and optimize the business case of geothermal heat production doublets, 3) addressing technical, economic, environmental, regulatory and policy aspects that are necessary to support efficient and cost-effective deployment of UTES technologies in Europe. The three-year project will stimulate a fast-track market uptake in Europe, promoting development from demonstration phase to commercial deployment within 2 to 5 years, and provide an outlook for utilization potential towards 2030 and 2050. The 24 contributing partners from 9 countries in HeatStore have complementary expertise and roles. The consortium is composed of a mix of scientific research institutes and private companies. The industrial participation is considered a very strong and relevant advantage which is instrumental for success. The combination of leading European research institutes together with small, medium and large industrial enterprises, will ensure that the tested technologies can be brought to market and valorised by the relevant stakeholders. |
| Keywords |
Underground Thermal Energy Storage |
| Project homepage | http://www.heatstore.eu/ |
| Type of project | Applied research project |
| Research area | Geothermics |
| Method of financing | GEOTHERMICA Grant |
| Status | Ongoing |
| Start of project | 1-5-2018 |
| End of project | 1-5-2021 |
| Additional info |
http://www.geothermica.eu/ |
| Contact | Reza Sohrabi |