Long Term Storage Of Solar Energy By Injecting Hot Water Into Groundwater Aquifers

Abstract

The energy shortage has caused increased interest in alternate energy sources such as solar energy. Solar energy is most efficiently used in the form of hot water which can be used for space heating. The problem of using solar energy in the form of hot water is that no effective long-term hot water storage is available. The proposed method of storing this water is by injecting this water into groundwater aquifers. To effectively design such a system, models of solar energy collection and hot water injection into groundwater aquifers is needed. A computer model to simulate solar energy collection by heating water was used to develop curves that show the amount of water that could be heated at a given location. A computer model that simulates hot water injection into a groundwater aquifer must combine mass flow and heat transfer properties simultaneously. After writing a computer program that models this process, properties that effect recovery efficiencies can be studied.