Abstract
The subsurface represents space and resource of ever-growing importance to meet human activity needs associated with the availability of built environments and energy. So-calledenergy geostructuresrepresent a breakthrough technology in this context. By integrating the structural support role of earth-contact structures with the heating-cooling role of shallow geothermal heat exchangers, energy geostructures can sustain or enclose built environments while providing them with renewable thermal energy. Despite such promising features, the integrated roles of energy geostructures pose various challenges to understand their behavior and performance, and to address the related analysis and design. Appropriate formulation and application of scientific theory are crucial for the successful analysis and design of energy geostructures. This Bright Spark Lecture Paper presents selected theory for addressing the behavior and performance of energy geostructures, and discusses the application of this theory to analysis and design. In this context, the work focuses on energy piles and barrettes, energy tunnels, as well as energy walls and slabs. The ultimate goal of this paper is to provide competence for facilitating future research and development of energy geostructures across science and engineering.
Highlights
The integration of multiple roles in technologies to serve human activity needs in a variety of ways is a complex, pressing and fascinating challenge of the present times
Scientific theory represents the basis for a variety of analysis and design approaches for energy geostructures
An extensive number of analytical models and methods are available to address a variety of energy, structural and geotechnical aspects involved with the combined energy transfer and structural support roles of energy geostructures
Summary
The integration of multiple roles in technologies to serve human activity needs in a variety of ways is a complex, pressing and fascinating challenge of the present times. All earth-contact structures that embed a piping circuit with a circulating heat carrier fluid to achieve a heat exchange between the ground and any building or infrastructure represent energy geostructures. By harvesting renewable geothermal energy from the ground through earth-contact structures that would have been built anyway to support buildings and infrastructures, energy geostructures. Despite such promising features, the integrated roles of energy geostructures pose various challenges linked to the understanding of their behavior and performance, and the related analysis and design. This perspective might be especially relevant to individuals who takle energy geostructures for the first time or master specific aspects of this subject
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