Store Across Seasons
Some districts have heat in summer, solar or industrial surplus, and need it in winter. Seasonal storage bridges that gap.
Main Approaches
- Aquifer thermal energy storage, ATES: uses groundwater layers to bank hot and cold.
- Borehole thermal storage, BTES: arrays of boreholes in the ground.
- Pit or tank storage: large insulated basins for hot water.
Integration
Seasonal stores pair well with heat pumps and with waste-heat recovery from industry. An air-to-air recovery stage feeds the store with extra heat that would otherwise be vented, improving the annual balance of the district network.