According to a LinkedIn post, the University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Western Switzerland (HEIG-VD) and the engineering firmPlanairhave launched the BIG4HEAT project. BIG4HEAT will run for two years and is supported by the Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE). Services Industriels de Genève (SIG), Groupe EausGranges-Paccot FR and Cadcime, based in Eclépens VD, are also industrial partners in the project.
The main objective of the project is to develop an underground seasonal heat storage facility (Chemical Thermal Energy Storage, CTES). The heat energy is to be stored in summer and then used in winter. HEIG-VD and Planair want to use old cisterns for this purpose, which will be converted into heat storage facilities in line with the principles of the circular economy and retrofitting, i.e. the conversion of older facilities. According to HEIG-VD, “seasonal storage could reduce the electricity deficit in winter by almost 20 per cent”. With this project, HEIG-VD and Planair aim to reduce CO2 emissions and create space in urban areas from 2030 onwards by using underground storage facilities.
Founded in 1956 and based in Yverdon, HEIG-VD conducts research in collaboration with companies, local authorities and national and international partners in various fields such as energy and sustainable development. Planair, based in La Sagne NE, is active in the fields of energy transition and renewable energies.
