Large-scale solar heating has been installed in numerous district heating power stations since the 1980s. The sun is the cleanest of all energy sources and the most powerful sustainable energy source, emitting zero CO2.
The cost is always zero!
The cost of the sun is always the same: zero. Even considering the facilities’ cost, large-scale solar thermal installations will generate the lowest possible heating costs. Furthermore, it makes no noise, releases no smell, and does not spoil the environment. With the latest innovative development, allowing also large-scale storage of solar energy, this technology has been taken to a new level.
Large-scale solar thermal installations
The world’s most extensive solar heating system is loaded in Dronninglund in Denmark. It has a capacity of 26 MWth, and the thermal solar panels cover an area of 33,000 m2. Large-scale solar thermal installations are often combined with Thermal Energy Storage (TES) to better utilize the heat production on sunny days. Most TES is a thermal tank, but the newest development is the Pit Thermal Energy Storage (TTES), which can be used for seasonal storage (months). This enables better usage of the fluctuating production of renewable energy sources such as solar thermal heat.