Power-to-Heat and Seasonal Thermal Energy Storage: Pathways Toward a Low-Carbon Future for District Heating

Krzysztof Sornek (), Maksymilian Homa, Flaviu Mihai Frigura-Iliasa, Mihaela Frigura-Iliasa, Marcin Jankowski, Karolina Papis-Frączek, Jakub Katerla and Jakub Janus
Additional contact information
Krzysztof Sornek: Department of Sustainable Energy Development, Faculty of Energy and Fuels, AGH University of Krakow, al. A. Mickiewicza 30, 30-059 Krakow, Poland
Maksymilian Homa: Department of Sustainable Energy Development, Faculty of Energy and Fuels, AGH University of Krakow, al. A. Mickiewicza 30, 30-059 Krakow, Poland
Flaviu Mihai Frigura-Iliasa: Power Systems Department, Faculty of Electrical and Power Engineering, Politehnica University of Timisoara, 2, V. Parvan, 300223 Timisoara, Romania
Mihaela Frigura-Iliasa: Power Systems Department, Faculty of Electrical and Power Engineering, Politehnica University of Timisoara, 2, V. Parvan, 300223 Timisoara, Romania
Marcin Jankowski: Department of Sustainable Energy Development, Faculty of Energy and Fuels, AGH University of Krakow, al. A. Mickiewicza 30, 30-059 Krakow, Poland
Karolina Papis-Frączek: Department of Sustainable Energy Development, Faculty of Energy and Fuels, AGH University of Krakow, al. A. Mickiewicza 30, 30-059 Krakow, Poland
Jakub Katerla: Department of Sustainable Energy Development, Faculty of Energy and Fuels, AGH University of Krakow, al. A. Mickiewicza 30, 30-059 Krakow, Poland
Jakub Janus: Strata Mechanics Research Institute, Polish Academy of Sciences, Reymonta 27, 30-059 Krakow, Poland

Energies, 2025, vol. 18, issue 21, 1-37

Abstract: Power-to-Heat and Seasonal Thermal Energy Storage are emerging technologies that facilitate the integration of variable renewable energy sources into building and district energy systems. This review synthesizes recent advancements in technologies, integration strategies, and case studies, with a particular focus on nearly zero-energy buildings and nearly zero-energy districts. A structured literature survey, prioritizing sources from 2020 to 2025, was conducted to map available options. The analysis includes Power-to-Heat systems, primarily electric boilers and heat pumps, as well as various seasonal thermal energy storage configurations, including Aquifer Thermal Energy Storage, Borehole Thermal Energy Storage, Pit Thermal Energy Storage, Tank Thermal Energy Storage, and Packed Bed Thermal Energy Storage. The findings indicate that coupling renewable energy with Power-to-Heat and seasonal thermal energy storage can significantly enhance the flexibility of buildings and district systems, reducing the curtailment of renewable sources by utilizing surplus electricity from renewable generation, particularly during periods of low demand, and lowering the environmental impact of buildings and district heating networks.

Keywords: renewable energy; photovoltaic; wind energy; thermal energy storage; residential heating; district heating; decarbonization; energy transition; P2H; STES (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: 2025
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/18/21/5577/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/18/21/5577/ (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:18:y:2025:i:21:p:5577-:d:1778184

Access Statistics for this article

Energies is currently edited by Ms. Cassie Shen

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