| Title | Demonstrating low temperature grids, with ATES as flex for E-grid |
|---|---|
| Authors | Martin Bloemendal |
| Year | 2026 |
| Conference | World Geothermal Congress |
| Keywords | ATES, E-grid flex, demonstration, cooling dominated |
| Abstract | The heat transition in space heating is leading to increased electrification through the use of heat pumps, which increases peak loads in winter. This grid congestion can be reduced by producing heat at times when sustainable electricity is available, and storing heat in the subsurface so that it can be recovered and used with minimal primary energy use when there is demand. When using heating with Aquifer Thermal Energy Storage (ATES) it is crucial to ensure efficiency and capacity by stabilizing the temperature levels from the ATES. This is especially important given the variability in return temperatures and the fluctuations in building demand. At TU Delft we are developing a novel ATES based low-temperature heating and cooling systems at a newly developed part of the campus. Cooling demand is strongly dominating here, so we design the ATES to be able to supply space and process cooling at different temperature levels. There are several ways to harvest cooling designed: (i) by running the central heat pump when there is excess electricity and (ii) from dry coolers in winter. In this contribution we share development, design set-up and initial results from this demonstration project on how ATES can offer flex-services to E-grid for cooling dominated buildings. |