Why?

In summer it's often too hot, while in winter we struggle to stay warm. Storing surplus heat or cold, and using it only when needed, can save a great deal of energy.

How?

To heat and cool the building, we make use of natural resources. The building has a conventional thermal energy storage system, but in addition to this a new technique has been developed. A well has been drilled in the soil beside the building to store water heated to 45º C or higher in a deep earth stratum, at around 300 meters deep. In summer, we store surplus heat that comes from the processing units in the laboratory and the greenhouses, supplemented with heat from solar collectors. This lets us heat the building in winter. Also in winter, cold outside air is collected using cooling towers and stored in the soil (7º C), allowing us to cool the building in summer. DWA and IF-Technology pioneered this innovative technique, with support from the province of Gelderland and the Netherlands Enterprise Agency.