Home energy with energy storage piles

Can energy piles store solar thermal energy underground?

Ma and Wang proposed using energy piles to store solar thermal energy underground in summer, which can be retrieved later to meet the heat demands in winter, as schematically illustrated in Fig. 1. A mathematical model of the coupled energy pile-solar collector system was developed, and a parametric study was carried out.

Can energy piles be used for underground energy exchange?

Energy piles, which are combinations of BHEs with pile foundations, could be used for underground energy exchange without the need for drilling holes [ , , ]. Energy piles have been combined with ground source heat pump (GSHP) systems for building heating or cooling for years [ 33 ].

How much solar energy can a 10 m-long energy pile store?

Under the specific thermal boundary conditions adopted, the maximum daily average rate of solar energy storage reached 150 W/m for the 10 m-long energy pile. It decreased to about 35 W/m as the pile length increased to 50 m.

How do energy piles work?

The energy piles combine the foundation piles with the heat exchange pipes, the latter being attached to the steel cage and embedded in the pile body, as illustrated in Fig. 1. In this way, the energy piles sustain the building load and hold the heat exchange pipes simultaneously.

How does a solar energy pile-soil system work?

The heat-carrying fluid particle transports heat from the solar collector to the energy pile-soil system continuously. The rate of charging and discharging depends on the flowrate, the intensity of radiation, and the condition of the energy pile-soil system.

How does pile size affect solar energy storage?

As the pile diameter increases, there has a relatively larger volume of concrete for solar energy storage, leading to a lower pile temperature. As a result of its lower temperature, a higher rate of solar energy storage is observed for cases with larger pile diameters.