Innovative Approaches to Bridging Energy Supply and Demand Gaps Through Thermal Energy Storage: A Case Study

Michal Gorás, Ján Domanický, Daniela Káposztásová (), František Vranay and Zuzana Vranayová
Additional contact information
Michal Gorás: Institute of Architectural Engineering, Faculty of Civil Engineering, Technical University of Kosice, 042 00 Kosice, Slovakia
Ján Domanický: Institute of Architectural Engineering, Faculty of Civil Engineering, Technical University of Kosice, 042 00 Kosice, Slovakia
Daniela Káposztásová: Center of Research and Innovation in Construction, Faculty of Civil Engineering, Technical University of Kosice, 042 00 Kosice, Slovakia
František Vranay: Institute of Architectural Engineering, Faculty of Civil Engineering, Technical University of Kosice, 042 00 Kosice, Slovakia
Zuzana Vranayová: Institute of Architectural Engineering, Faculty of Civil Engineering, Technical University of Kosice, 042 00 Kosice, Slovakia

Energies, 2024, vol. 17, issue 23, 1-17

Abstract: This study investigates innovative solutions for balancing energy supply and demand using long-term thermal energy storage (TES) systems, with a focus on tank thermal energy storage (TTES) for European buildings, which account for approximately 40% of energy consumption in the European Union. Research conducted at the Technical University of Košice explores the potential of TTES systems for efficient and long-term energy storage. The accumulation is carried out in three existing underground tanks of different volumes. Among various outputs, we present the cooling process resulting from covering the water surface and the effect of tank size on cooling. The findings indicate that covering the water surface in the tanks can effectively double the energy retention time, thereby extending the cooling period. A tank with a larger volume cools slower and better ensures the formation of temperature layers. Temperature layering allows for better utilization of the tanks’ potential in terms of energy. The overall result is a significant reduction in heat losses and CO₂ emissions. These results demonstrate the critical role of TTES in stabilizing renewable energy sources, especially solar energy, to support sustainable energy solutions in buildings by providing reliable and long-term energy storage.

Keywords: thermal energy storage; energy efficiency; renewable energy; buildings; TTES systems (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/17/23/6197/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/17/23/6197/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jeners:v:17:y:2024:i:23:p:6197-:d:1539521

Access Statistics for this article

Energies is currently edited by Ms. Agatha Cao

More articles in Energies from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().