Geothermal energy in a tram depot in Rotterdam (RET)

During the design phase of the new Beverwaard tram depot, RET investigated the deployment of energy piles for recovering geothermal energy. As soil is mostly composed of silt and clay in the Netherlands, it was necessary to install foundations on piles, because harder layers are found further down in the ground.

The entire complex was built on more than 2,800 pieces of prefab concrete piles with some 500 equipped as energy piles. The principle behind energy piles is the exchange of heat and cold, which are stored in the ground and sent to the buildings via an internal fluid circuit inside the piles. This is the first time in the Netherlands that this principle has been used on such a big scale. RET saves about 60% on energy cost with this system compared to a more conventional heating and cooling system. The payback period is approximately 10 years.1
 

1. This investment was made in the TramStore21 project: www.tramstore21.eu

GEOTHERMAL ENERGY IN A TRAM DEPOT IN ROTTERDAM (RET)  GEOTHERMAL ENERGY IN A TRAM DEPOT IN ROTTERDAM (RET)