Aquifer Thermal Energy Storage (ATES) accesses the stable temperature of groundwater to warm buildings in winter and cool them in summer. The solution uses much less power than conventional heating and cooling systems. As Daisy Chi at ECECP explains, ATES first took off in China in the 1960s but ran into problems with the required circulation of the groundwater. However, the technology has been developed and optimised in the Netherlands: of the roughly 3,500 currently operational ATES systems worldwide, 3,000 are based there. The Dutch systems are now being installed in China and can be seen as an excellent example of co-operation between the two nations. Chi takes a deep dive into the technology, its advantages, the challenges, and the policy initiatives that could make ATES a part of China’s – and possibly the world’s – strategy to reduce the costs and emissions of heating and cooling, responsible for 40% of energy related greenhouse gas emissions globally.
Energy Post 19th May 2022 read more »