Outdoor solar energy cross-season heat storage

What is seasonal thermal energy storage (STES)?

Seasonal thermal energy storage (STES) harvests and stores sustainable heat sources, such as solar thermal energy and waste heat, in summer and uses them in winter for heating purposes, facilitating the replacement of fossil fuel-based heat supply and coordinating the seasonal mismatch between heat supply and demand .

Can solar thermal energy be used for cross-seasonal heating?

The increase in the tank temperature at the end of the heating period was beneficial for shortening the duration of the heat storage period for the following year. The feasibility of utilizing solar thermal energy and cascaded phase change heat storage for cross-seasonal heating has been demonstrated in this study.

How can cross-seasonal thermal storage improve solar energy utilization?

As heat storage volume increases, hot water preparation costs and heat loss per unit volume decrease. Thus, developing large-scale cross-seasonal thermal storage systems is an effective solution to improve the thermal efficiency and solar energy utilization of solar heating systems.

Can solar energy be used for cross-seasonal heating in highland areas?

Thus, the solar-driven cascaded phase change heat storage system for cross-seasonal heating holds significant application value in highland areas. The system utilizes solar energy as the primary energy source, which is abundant in the plateau region, effectively reducing reliance on traditional fossil energy sources and mitigating carbon emissions.

What is cross-seasonal heat storage?

This temporal mismatch between heat supply and demand can be addressed by cross-seasonal heat storage, which allows for the transfer of heat collected during the heat storage period to the middle of the heating period, filling the heat gap during the heating period.

What is seasonal/long-term heat storage?

The concept of seasonal/long-term heat storage presents great opportunities for making the utmost use of solar energy. Stored “excess” heat can compensate for the heat shortage when necessary. Seasonal storage offers the possibility that solar energy can cover all the heating loads without an extra heating system.