Abstract
The combination/integration of renewable energy and storage systems appears to have significant potential, achieving high-energy results with lower costs and emissions. One way to cover the thermal needs of a building is through solar energy and its seasonal storage in the ground. The SMARTEP project aims to create an experimental area that provides for the construction of a road solar thermal collector directly connected to a seasonal low-temperature geothermal storage with vertical boreholes. The storage can be connected to a ground-to-water heat pump for building acclimatization. This system will meet the requirements of visual impact and reduction of the occupied area. Nevertheless, several constraints related to the radiative properties of the surfaces and the lack of proper thermal insulation have to be addressed. The project includes the study of several configurations and suitable materials, the set-up of a dynamic simulation model and the construction of a small-scale road thermal collector. These phases allowed for an experimental area to be built. Thanks to careful investigation in the field, it will be possible to identify the characteristics and the best operation strategy to maximize the energy management of the whole system in the Mediterranean area.
Highlights
The exploitation of traditional energy resources has, to a large extent, led to a critical point, where it is critical to reconsider the terms of energy and focus on sustainable energy reasonableness, so that energy satisfies the energy of the present without compromising the ability to meet the needs of future generations
The results showed that solar collectors, placed on a concrete surface, could be used as a valid and economically feasible alternative to conventional systems when the air temperature is 35 ◦ C and solar radiation is 1000 W/m2 [12]
The road thermal collectors (RTC) plant system will be aimed at collecting thermal energy from the solar source through the piping system embedded in the ground, to be directly connected to a geothermal storage system
Summary
The exploitation of traditional energy resources has, to a large extent, led to a critical point, where it is critical to reconsider the terms of energy and focus on sustainable energy reasonableness, so that energy satisfies the energy of the present without compromising the ability to meet the needs of future generations. The solar energy captured in this way can be used for different applications: in combination with accumulation systems (wells), for road safety and maintenance, keeping the roads free from snow during the winter period, reducing the cost of regular roofing road, or for the decrease in surface temperatures by reducing the effect of the heat island Unlike traditional manifolds, this system meets the needs of reducing visual impacts, not occupying surface areas that are not always available where necessary. After careful analysis of the sector bibliography, thanks to the SMARTEP experimental area, it will be possible to investigate, in the field, the best solution, configuration, and main boundary conditions that can maximize the efficiency and effectiveness of an alternative solar system, and innovativeness, such as solar collectors embedded in paved surfaces (asphalt, sidewalks, roads, parking lots), integrated with a geothermal seasonal storage system. The results of the proposed research will provide valid support for the design and implementation of sustainability and circularity actions, based on a holistic and life cycle approach that integrates the three spheres of sustainability, which will allow a systemic assessment of energy—environmental, economic, social, and circularity
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