Thermal energy storage at the Stockholm Airport
Overview
Stockholm’s Arlanda Airport receives free energy for cooling, heating and de-icing from the world’s largest aquifer thermal energy storage. The airport complex consumes enormous amounts of energy each year for both cooling and heating, especially due to its location in a Nordic climate. Running Stockholm Arlanda requires as much energy as a small city of 25,000 residents.
But this energy use has been dramatically reduced by using geothermal since 2009. During summer, the nearby aquifer, an underground geological formation which stores groundwater, is used for extracting cold water which is pumped into the airport’s cooling network. On its way through the buildings, the water is heated up to about 20C and returned underground to be stored in the aquifer until winter. During colder months, this warm water is used for preheating the ventilation air in the buildings and for melting the snow on the aircraft parking stands.
In total, the system delivers 22 GWh of heat and cold annually. By using geothermal energy, Stockholm Arlanda can save up to 19 GWh each year, which is equivalent to the electricity use of 2,000 single-family homes.
Summary
Storage capacity: 22 GWh of heat and cold annually
Energy savings per year: 19 GWh per year, equivalent to a year's electricity use for 2000 single-family homes
Storage size: largest aquifer storage in the world stretching over the area of 100 football fields