The use of borehole thermal energy storage (BTES) systems

For favorable geological conditions, borehole thermal energy storage is advantageous for long-term storage from a technical and economic point of view. Nevertheless, serious environmental aspects have to be considered to avoid any impact on groundwater or surrounding buildings. For proper design by system simulation, site investigation with a thermal response test is strictly recommended to achieve correct physical underground parameters. Thorough construction accompanied by a strict quality management is crucial for safe and efficient systems. Typical applications are BTES systems for heat storage in solar district heating, in combination with heat and power cogeneration or heat and cold storage.