Heat is the biggest end use of energy in the UK - most of it is used for heating homes and providing hot water. This research project examined the feasibility of capturing large quantities of waste heat from power stations and industrial processes and then storing it underground for later use in homes and offices. It investigated the cost effectiveness and practicalities of storing large quantities of heat for long periods of time to meet a significant proportion of the UK’s winter heat demand. It evaluated the practical limits for this type of storage, the technology development needs and where in the country large-scale heat storage could be most effectively exploited. International consulting engineers Buro Happold completed the research project in 2011
In the UK overall fuel efficiency of electrical generation is limited by the centralised positioning of power stations in relatively isolated locations and the current inability to use low grade heat. Large scale geological heat storage offers the opportunity to make use of this low grade heat whilst providing some of the flexibility and ability to meet peak loads inherent in the natural gas system linked to seasonal heat demand. Currently electricity demand is relatively constant throughout the year whilst heat demand is seasonally led due to dominant space heating requirements during colder periods. Introducing a storage mechanism to seasonally store heat from power stations provides the potential to balance this seasonal mismatch whilst avoiding excessive investment in peak load plant which is only used on a few days per year.
