HeatRock

District heating networks play a central role in the energy transition. Large-scale seasonal thermal energy storage systems will play a key role in the heat transition by storing summer energy or industrial waste heat for winter. One promising option is large-scale heat storage in caverns in solid rock (cavern thermal energy storages, CTES). In Austria in particular, many potential locations for cavern storage systems are located near city centers. Cavern storage systems have a very long service life and are barely visible. The main objectives of the “”HEATROCK”” project are to further develop the technology and reduce the specific investment costs of cavern storage.
The Energy Institute at the JKU is conducting the life cycle analysis, the legal analysis, and a macroeconomic analysis.