IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/appene/v377y2025ipbs0306261924017057.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Explaining the emergence and absence of Seasonal Thermal Energy Storage in the UK: Evidence from local case studies

Author

Listed:
  • Cameron, Lewis
  • Winskel, Mark
  • Bolton, Ronan

Abstract

Large-scale energy storage is highlighted as key for decarbonisation, yet there lacks consensus on the optimal types of storage required. Seasonal Thermal Energy Storage (STES) is an established feature of effective energy transitions in some countries, such as Denmark and the Netherlands, but it remains a marginal technology in the UK. This paper contributes to understanding how STES may develop in the UK, and the mechanisms and challenges for widescale STES deployment, through case studies of five local heat projects.

Suggested Citation

  • Cameron, Lewis & Winskel, Mark & Bolton, Ronan, 2025. "Explaining the emergence and absence of Seasonal Thermal Energy Storage in the UK: Evidence from local case studies," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 377(PB).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:appene:v:377:y:2025:i:pb:s0306261924017057
    DOI: 10.1016/j.apenergy.2024.124322
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0306261924017057
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.apenergy.2024.124322?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Hesaraki, Arefeh & Holmberg, Sture & Haghighat, Fariborz, 2015. "Seasonal thermal energy storage with heat pumps and low temperatures in building projects—A comparative review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 43(C), pages 1199-1213.
    2. Jochen Markard, 2018. "The next phase of the energy transition and its implications for research and policy," Nature Energy, Nature, vol. 3(8), pages 628-633, August.
    3. Herbert, Alan & Arthur, Simon & Chillingworth, Grace, 2013. "Thermal modelling of large scale exploitation of ground source energy in urban aquifers as a resource management tool," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 109(C), pages 94-103.
    4. Georg Neugebauer & Florian Kretschmer & René Kollmann & Michael Narodoslawsky & Thomas Ertl & Gernot Stoeglehner, 2015. "Mapping Thermal Energy Resource Potentials from Wastewater Treatment Plants," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 7(10), pages 1-23, September.
    5. Buffa, Simone & Cozzini, Marco & D’Antoni, Matteo & Baratieri, Marco & Fedrizzi, Roberto, 2019. "5th generation district heating and cooling systems: A review of existing cases in Europe," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 104(C), pages 504-522.
    6. Menéndez, Javier & Ordóñez, Almudena & Álvarez, Rodrigo & Loredo, Jorge, 2019. "Energy from closed mines: Underground energy storage and geothermal applications," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 108(C), pages 498-512.
    7. Rad, Farzin M. & Fung, Alan S., 2016. "Solar community heating and cooling system with borehole thermal energy storage – Review of systems," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 60(C), pages 1550-1561.
    8. Andersen, Allan Dahl & Markard, Jochen, 2020. "Multi-technology interaction in socio-technical transitions: How recent dynamics in HVDC technology can inform transition theories," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 151(C).
    9. Brown, Christopher S. & Kolo, Isa & Falcone, Gioia & Banks, David, 2023. "Investigating scalability of deep borehole heat exchangers: Numerical modelling of arrays with varied modes of operation," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 202(C), pages 442-452.
    10. Jacobsson, Staffan & Johnson, Anna, 2000. "The diffusion of renewable energy technology: an analytical framework and key issues for research," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 28(9), pages 625-640, July.
    11. Geels, Frank W. & Kemp, René, 2007. "Dynamics in socio-technical systems: Typology of change processes and contrasting case studies," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 29(4), pages 441-455.
    12. Joseph Murphy & Adrian Smith, 2013. "Understanding Transition—Periphery Dynamics: Renewable Energy in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 45(3), pages 691-709, March.
    13. Chittum, Anna & Østergaard, Poul Alberg, 2014. "How Danish communal heat planning empowers municipalities and benefits individual consumers," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 74(C), pages 465-474.
    14. Gunnarsdottir, I. & Davidsdottir, B. & Worrell, E. & Sigurgeirsdottir, S., 2020. "Review of indicators for sustainable energy development," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 133(C).
    15. Lyden, A. & Brown, C.S. & Kolo, I. & Falcone, G. & Friedrich, D., 2022. "Seasonal thermal energy storage in smart energy systems: District-level applications and modelling approaches," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 167(C).
    16. Markard, Jochen & Wirth, Steffen & Truffer, Bernhard, 2016. "Institutional dynamics and technology legitimacy – A framework and a case study on biogas technology," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 45(1), pages 330-344.
    17. Gjoka, Kristian & Rismanchi, Behzad & Crawford, Robert H., 2023. "Fifth-generation district heating and cooling systems: A review of recent advancements and implementation barriers," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 171(C).
    18. Albert, Max D.A. & Bennett, Katherine O. & Adams, Charlotte A. & Gluyas, Jon G., 2022. "Waste heat mapping: A UK study," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 160(C).
    19. Mahon, Harry & O'Connor, Dominic & Friedrich, Daniel & Hughes, Ben, 2022. "A review of thermal energy storage technologies for seasonal loops," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 239(PC).
    20. Hargreaves, Tom & Nye, Michael & Burgess, Jacquelin, 2010. "Making energy visible: A qualitative field study of how householders interact with feedback from smart energy monitors," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 38(10), pages 6111-6119, October.
    21. Smith, Adrian & Voß, Jan-Peter & Grin, John, 2010. "Innovation studies and sustainability transitions: The allure of the multi-level perspective and its challenges," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 39(4), pages 435-448, May.
    22. David Banks & Jonathan Steven & Adam Black & John Naismith, 2022. "Conceptual Modelling of Two Large-Scale Mine Water Geothermal Energy Schemes: Felling, Gateshead, UK," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(3), pages 1-28, January.
    23. Herreras Martínez, Sara & Harmsen, Robert & Menkveld, Marijke & Faaij, André & Kramer, Gert Jan, 2022. "Municipalities as key actors in the heat transition to decarbonise buildings: Experiences from local planning and implementation in a learning context," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 169(C).
    24. Dahash, Abdulrahman & Ochs, Fabian & Janetti, Michele Bianchi & Streicher, Wolfgang, 2019. "Advances in seasonal thermal energy storage for solar district heating applications: A critical review on large-scale hot-water tank and pit thermal energy storage systems," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 239(C), pages 296-315.
    25. Fast, Stewart & Mabee, Warren, 2015. "Place-making and trust-building: The influence of policy on host community responses to wind farms," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 81(C), pages 27-37.
    26. Geels, Frank W., 2002. "Technological transitions as evolutionary reconfiguration processes: a multi-level perspective and a case-study," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 31(8-9), pages 1257-1274, December.
    27. Tschopp, Daniel & Tian, Zhiyong & Berberich, Magdalena & Fan, Jianhua & Perers, Bengt & Furbo, Simon, 2020. "Large-scale solar thermal systems in leading countries: A review and comparative study of Denmark, China, Germany and Austria," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 270(C).
    28. Li, Xiang & Yilmaz, Selin & Patel, Martin K. & Chambers, Jonathan, 2023. "Techno-economic analysis of fifth-generation district heating and cooling combined with seasonal borehole thermal energy storage," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 285(C).
    29. Fleuchaus, Paul & Godschalk, Bas & Stober, Ingrid & Blum, Philipp, 2018. "Worldwide application of aquifer thermal energy storage – A review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 94(C), pages 861-876.
    30. Raven, Rob, 2007. "Niche accumulation and hybridisation strategies in transition processes towards a sustainable energy system: An assessment of differences and pitfalls," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 35(4), pages 2390-2400, April.
    31. Lund, Henrik & Duic, Neven & Østergaard, Poul Alberg & Mathiesen, Brian Vad, 2018. "Future district heating systems and technologies: On the role of smart energy systems and 4th generation district heating," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 165(PA), pages 614-619.
    32. Geels, Frank W., 2004. "From sectoral systems of innovation to socio-technical systems: Insights about dynamics and change from sociology and institutional theory," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 33(6-7), pages 897-920, September.
    33. Yang, Tianrun & Liu, Wen & Kramer, Gert Jan & Sun, Qie, 2021. "Seasonal thermal energy storage: A techno-economic literature review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 139(C).
    34. Balta-Ozkan, Nazmiye & Yildirim, Julide & Connor, Peter M., 2015. "Regional distribution of photovoltaic deployment in the UK and its determinants: A spatial econometric approach," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 51(C), pages 417-429.
    35. Revesz, Akos & Jones, Phil & Dunham, Chris & Davies, Gareth & Marques, Catarina & Matabuena, Rodrigo & Scott, Jim & Maidment, Graeme, 2020. "Developing novel 5th generation district energy networks," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 201(C).
    36. Ford, Rebecca & Hardy, Jeffrey, 2020. "Are we seeing clearly? The need for aligned vision and supporting strategies to deliver net-zero electricity systems," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 147(C).
    37. Sadeghi, Habibollah & Jalali, Ramin & Singh, Rao Martand, 2024. "A review of borehole thermal energy storage and its integration into district heating systems," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 192(C).
    38. Renaldi, Renaldi & Friedrich, Daniel, 2019. "Techno-economic analysis of a solar district heating system with seasonal thermal storage in the UK," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 236(C), pages 388-400.
    39. Wade, Faye & Bush, Ruth & Webb, Janette, 2020. "Emerging linked ecologies for a national scale retrofitting programme: The role of local authorities and delivery partners," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 137(C).
    40. Lars Coenen & Bernhard Truffer, 2012. "Places and Spaces of Sustainability Transitions: Geographical Contributions to an Emerging Research and Policy Field," European Planning Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 20(3), pages 367-374, March.
    41. Unruh, Gregory C., 2000. "Understanding carbon lock-in," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 28(12), pages 817-830, October.
    42. Brown, C.S. & Kolo, I. & Lyden, A. & Franken, L. & Kerr, N. & Marshall-Cross, D. & Watson, S. & Falcone, G. & Friedrich, D. & Diamond, J., 2024. "Assessing the technical potential for underground thermal energy storage in the UK," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 199(C).
    43. Lund, Henrik & Østergaard, Poul Alberg & Nielsen, Tore Bach & Werner, Sven & Thorsen, Jan Eric & Gudmundsson, Oddgeir & Arabkoohsar, Ahmad & Mathiesen, Brian Vad, 2021. "Perspectives on fourth and fifth generation district heating," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 227(C).
    44. Sinsel, Simon R. & Markard, Jochen & Hoffmann, Volker H., 2020. "How deployment policies affect innovation in complementary technologies—evidence from the German energy transition," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 161(C).
    45. McMeekin, Andrew & Geels, Frank W. & Hodson, Mike, 2019. "Mapping the winds of whole system reconfiguration: Analysing low-carbon transformations across production, distribution and consumption in the UK electricity system (1990–2016)," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 48(5), pages 1216-1231.
    46. David B. Walls & David Banks & Adrian J. Boyce & Neil M. Burnside, 2021. "A Review of the Performance of Minewater Heating and Cooling Systems," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(19), pages 1-33, September.
    47. Tim Strangleman, 2001. "Networks, Place and Identities in Post‐industrial Mining Communities," International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 25(2), pages 253-267, June.
    48. Markard, Jochen & Hoffmann, Volker H., 2016. "Analysis of complementarities: Framework and examples from the energy transition," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 111(C), pages 63-75.
    49. Christopher S. Brown & Hannah Doran & Isa Kolo & David Banks & Gioia Falcone, 2023. "Investigating the Influence of Groundwater Flow and Charge Cycle Duration on Deep Borehole Heat Exchangers for Heat Extraction and Borehole Thermal Energy Storage," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(6), pages 1-22, March.
    50. Nilsson, Emil & Rohdin, Patrik, 2019. "Performance evaluation of an industrial borehole thermal energy storage (BTES) project – Experiences from the first seven years of operation," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 143(C), pages 1022-1034.
    51. Koirala, Binod Prasad & Koliou, Elta & Friege, Jonas & Hakvoort, Rudi A. & Herder, Paulien M., 2016. "Energetic communities for community energy: A review of key issues and trends shaping integrated community energy systems," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 56(C), pages 722-744.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Brown, C.S. & Kolo, I. & Lyden, A. & Franken, L. & Kerr, N. & Marshall-Cross, D. & Watson, S. & Falcone, G. & Friedrich, D. & Diamond, J., 2024. "Assessing the technical potential for underground thermal energy storage in the UK," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 199(C).
    2. Andersen, Allan Dahl & Markard, Jochen, 2020. "Multi-technology interaction in socio-technical transitions: How recent dynamics in HVDC technology can inform transition theories," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 151(C).
    3. Mäkitie, Tuukka & Hanson, Jens & Steen, Markus & Hansen, Teis & Andersen, Allan Dahl, 2022. "Complementarity formation mechanisms in technology value chains," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 51(7).
    4. Yang, Tianrun & Liu, Wen & Sun, Qie & Hu, Weihao & Kramer, Gert Jan, 2023. "Techno-economic-environmental analysis of seasonal thermal energy storage with solar heating for residential heating in China," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 283(C).
    5. Lyden, A. & Brown, C.S. & Kolo, I. & Falcone, G. & Friedrich, D., 2022. "Seasonal thermal energy storage in smart energy systems: District-level applications and modelling approaches," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 167(C).
    6. Markard, Jochen & Raven, Rob & Truffer, Bernhard, 2012. "Sustainability transitions: An emerging field of research and its prospects," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 41(6), pages 955-967.
    7. Erlinghagen, Sabine & Markard, Jochen, 2012. "Smart grids and the transformation of the electricity sector: ICT firms as potential catalysts for sectoral change," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 51(C), pages 895-906.
    8. Attila Havas & Doris Schartinger & K. Matthias Weber, 2022. "Innovation Studies, Social Innovation, and Sustainability Transitions Research: From mutual ignorance towards an integrative perspective?," CERS-IE WORKING PAPERS 2227, Institute of Economics, Centre for Economic and Regional Studies.
    9. Golmohamadi, Hessam & Larsen, Kim Guldstrand & Jensen, Peter Gjøl & Hasrat, Imran Riaz, 2022. "Integration of flexibility potentials of district heating systems into electricity markets: A review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 159(C).
    10. Edsand, Hans, 2016. "Technological Innovation Systems and the wider context: A framework for developing countries," MERIT Working Papers 2016-017, United Nations University - Maastricht Economic and Social Research Institute on Innovation and Technology (MERIT).
    11. Sorrell, Steve, 2018. "Explaining sociotechnical transitions: A critical realist perspective," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 47(7), pages 1267-1282.
    12. Yang, Tianrun & Liu, Wen & Kramer, Gert Jan & Sun, Qie, 2021. "Seasonal thermal energy storage: A techno-economic literature review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 139(C).
    13. Yao, Shuai & Wu, Jianzhong & Qadrdan, Meysam, 2024. "A state-of-the-art analysis and perspectives on the 4th/5th generation district heating and cooling systems," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 202(C).
    14. Carola Guyot Phung & Florence Charue-Duboc, 2020. "Territorial dimension: emergence and diffusion processes of the sociotechnical niche [La dimension territoriale : modalités d’émergence et de diffusion de la niche sociotechnique]," Post-Print hal-03059762, HAL.
    15. Sinsel, Simon R. & Markard, Jochen & Hoffmann, Volker H., 2020. "How deployment policies affect innovation in complementary technologies—evidence from the German energy transition," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 161(C).
    16. Narula, Kapil & de Oliveira Filho, Fleury & Villasmil, Willy & Patel, Martin K., 2020. "Simulation method for assessing hourly energy flows in district heating system with seasonal thermal energy storage," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 151(C), pages 1250-1268.
    17. Safarzyńska, Karolina & Frenken, Koen & van den Bergh, Jeroen C.J.M., 2012. "Evolutionary theorizing and modeling of sustainability transitions," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 41(6), pages 1011-1024.
    18. Edsand, Hans-Erik, 2019. "Technological innovation system and the wider context: A framework for developing countries," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 58(C).
    19. Ushamah, Hafiz Muhammad & Ahmed, Naveed & Elfeky, K.E. & Mahmood, Mariam & Qaisrani, Mumtaz A. & Waqas, Adeel & Zhang, Qian, 2022. "Techno-economic analysis of a hybrid district heating with borehole thermal storage for various solar collectors and climate zones in Pakistan," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 199(C), pages 1639-1656.
    20. Zhang, Yuhang & Liu, Mingzhe & O'Neill, Zheng & Wen, Jin, 2024. "Temperature control strategies for fifth generation district heating and cooling systems: A review and case study," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 376(PA).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:appene:v:377:y:2025:i:pb:s0306261924017057. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/405891/description#description .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.