Household solar energy cross-season heat storage

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.

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 .

What are heat storage methods for solar-driven cross-seasonal heating?

Heat storage methods for solar-driven cross-seasonal heating include tank thermal energy storage (TTES), pit thermal energy storage (PTES), borehole thermal energy storage (BTES), and aquifer thermal energy storage (ATES) 14, 15, 16. As heat storage volume increases, hot water preparation costs and heat loss per unit volume decrease.

Why is cross-seasonal heat storage important?

The mismatch between solar radiation resources and building heating demand on a seasonal scale makes cross-seasonal heat storage a crucial technology, especially for plateau areas. Utilizing phase change materials with high energy density and stable heat output effectively improves energy storage efficiency.

Can solar thermal energy be stored seasonally?

This review presents the principal methods available for seasonal storage of solar thermal energy. It concentrates on residential scale systems, and particularly those currently used in practice which mostly store energy in the form of sensible heat.