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Unfortunately, this episode is only available in Dutch on Spotify.

In this episode of Een Academisch Kwartiertje met... we speak with Jolt Oostra, Energy Portfolio Manager, and Thomas Sweijen, Assistant Professor of Earth Sciences at Utrecht ľ¹Ï¸£ÀûÓ°ÊÓ, about the thermal energy storage (UTES) system.

Thermal energy storage (UTES) is a form of geothermal energy where heat and cold are stored in groundwater. In summer, heat is extracted from the building by cooling it down. This heat is then stored in the groundwater and later used to warm the building in winter. By applying this principle campus-wide, buildings can exchange energy with one another, creating a resilient, circular energy system. The campus thus operates as a whole, rather than as separate buildings with individual installations.

Jolt explains how the system contributes to Utrecht ľ¹Ï¸£ÀûÓ°ÊÓ’s ambition to be COâ‚‚-neutral by 2030. The thermal energy storage (UTES) system already meets a large part of the campus’s energy demand sustainably, enough for thousands of ‘virtual households’. Thomas tells us what exactly happens underground: how Utrecht’s subsurface is suited to this system, the geological knowledge required, and how to prevent imbalances in the thermal regime of the soil.