Abstract Summary
Geothermal energy piles (GEPs) are foundation elements that allow heat rejection or extraction via fluid circulation through the loops. In winter, low-grade heat is extracted from the ground (source) and transferred to the building (sink) to achieve space heating. Conversely, heat is removed from the building in summer and rejected into the ground to achieve space cooling. It was found that the addition of phase change materials significantly improves the performance of GEPs, resulting in lower temperature developed in the surrounding soil and pile.
