Behaviour of energy piles under climate-change scenarios: a case study in Southern Italy

Abstract

Energy geostructures are renewable-energy solutions that are strongly recommended as mitigation policy tools for facing the issue of global warming. Meanwhile, ongoing climate changes influence society through impacts on cities and structures, potentially affecting their effectiveness and functionalities and requiring assessments regarding adaptation. With that aim, the present research considers the future behaviour (until 2100) of an energy pile installed in Naples, Italy, supposing the influences of climate change on underground soil temperature and energy demand. The key points are that (a) future projections of air temperature and ground temperature highlight increases from 2 to 4°C in Naples, (b) future energy demand for indoor comfort goes to reducing the heating need of the building and increasing the cooling one and (c) the variations in the behaviour of the energy pile due to climate change on the long-term horizon (with increasing heating potential, thus reducing the cooling potential of the energy pile–soil system) are addressed mainly by the initial temperature of the ground. The outcomes, obtained with a thermo-hydro-mechanical model, give key insights into the geotechnical performance and thermal exchange, from a climate-change perspective, to support the future development of energy geostructures and design strategies.