If only we had a great big thermal battery that we could charge up with heat and use it later when we need it! Wouldn’t that be a great invention?
For the imaginative and observant among us, it’s easy to see various types of these batteries at work now. They are all around us.
Think of the blacktop used to pave our highways. Animals crawl out on it at night to stay warm.
Think of the warmth of a brick wall after the sun has gone down.
Have you ever had a hot stone massage? Why is it that the first snows always melt off the pavement just as soon as they touch it?
These are all examples of a thermal battery at work. An object or substance get’s “charged up” with heat for release later.
The ability of an object to absorb heat is largely determined by it’s color.
The level of heat absorption and the duration of heat release is largely determined by it’s thermal mass.
The color of the object also helps determine how quickly it releases its stored heat.
Thermal Mass – the key
Thermal mass is a lot of material that can hold heat. Examples include rock, brick, soil – and best of all – water. Yes, water is one of the best mediums for holding heat.
Next best is probably moist soil or sand, largely because of the water that it contains.
In Michigan, the big snows in the western part of the lower peninsula are caused by “the lake effect.” The moderate temperatures in the summer and winter in Michigan are attributable to “the lake effect.”
What is this “lake effect” that we keep hearing about?
Quite simply, it’s the thermal mass of the huge lakes that surround the State of Michigan’s lower peninsula.
They tend to keep the lower peninsula cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter than surrounding states.
The liquid thermal reserves that surround the state help to moderate the climate by releasing heat in the winter and absorbing heat during the summer.
Example Applications
Here are three examples of the application of a thermal battery to moderate indoor environments.
- In my greenhouses I have buried water lines under the soil from 1 to 2 feet deep. The water lines are connected to underground reservoirs with pumps and solar water heating panels just outside the greenhouses.When it’s sunny, the pumps circulate water from the reservoirs through the solar panels where the sun heats it. The water continues to circulate through the underground piping and it gives off it’s heat to the soil.Heat rises, so the soil around and above the piping warms up all day long. This warm soil holds the heat for slow release to the greenhouses above. And after the pumps shut off, the soil continues to release warmth inside the greenhouses, thus moderating their temperature throughout the night.
This is an example of active solar heating.
- Homes and office buildings have been built using a large thermal battery in the basement consisting of a bed of rocks, gravel and sand. Using heat from solar gain in the day, the thermal battery is charged up by circulating building air over and through the bed.At night and during overcast days, the heat stored in the bed is released to moderate building temperature with minimal additional heating required.This is another example of heating with active solar techniques.
- Pillars and drums constructed of concrete or filled with water have been installed in southern facing “great rooms” in homes to collect heat from the sun during the day, simply by being exposed to it, and releasing it during the night to help keep the house warm.This is an example of passive solar heating.
If your approach to frugal living finds you using solar heat to warm your house, heat your water or otherwise provide thermal energy to an interest of yours, then it’s probably a good idea to incorporate some form of thermal battery to make use of excess heat that you collect during the daylight hours, especially if you expect heat from the sun to support your interests at night and on cloudy days as well.