Energy Geostructures

Soil mechanics laboratory

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Harnessing the Power of the Ground: Energy Geostructures for Sustainability

To meet global carbon neutrality goals, we need innovative solutions like energy geostructures. These structures transform everyday building elements – foundations, walls, tunnels – into renewable heating and cooling systems. Imagine a building’s foundation also serving as its geothermal energy source!

The Challenge and Our Solutions

Designing energy geostructures is complex. They must provide structural support while handling unique thermal and mechanical stresses from the ground. Our research at the LMS tackles these challenges head-on. Here’s what we do:

Understanding the Science: What happens inside the ground when these structures provide both support and energy?

Engineering Solutions: How do we optimize energy geostructures for energy efficiency, structural soundness, and long-term performance?

Practical Applications: We help engineers and designers implement energy geostructures with confidence, spreading this sustainable technology.

Why This Matters

Energy geostructures offer a powerful way to reduce the carbon footprint of buildings and infrastructure, a key piece of a greener future.

Research Group for Energy Geostructures:

Professors

Post-doc

Scientific assistants

 

To former projects and publications

Publications

Books:

publication thumbnail

Analysis and Design of Energy Geostructures,1st Edition: Theoretical Essentials and Practical Application

Lyesse Laloui; Rotta Loria

Analysis and Design of Energy Geostructures gathers in a unified framework the theoretical and experimental competence available on energy geostructures: innovative multifunctional earth-contact structures that can provide renewable energy supply and structural support to any built environment. The book covers the broad, interdisciplinary and integrated knowledge required to address the analysis and design of energy geostructures from energy, geotechnical and structural perspectives.


Academic Press

1st November 2019

Hardcover ISBN: 9780128206232

2024

Ravera, E., Rotta Loria, A. F. & Laloui, L. Geomechanics for Energy and the Environment, 100536 (2024)
Ten Bosch, S., Ravera, E., & Laloui, L. Renewable Energy, 220, 119632 (2024)

2023

Rotta Loria, A. F., Ravera, E., & Laloui, L. Geomechanics For Energy And The Environment, 34, 100451 (2023)

2022

Ravera, E., & Laloui, L. Soils and Foundations, 62(3), 101152.

Rotta Loria, A. F., Richard, N., & Laloui, L. Geomechanics for Energy and the Environment, 100333.

Cassina, L., Laloui, L., & Rotta Loria, A. F.  Renewable Energy.

Zannin, J., Ferrari, A., Kazerani, T., Koliji, A., & Laloui, L. Geomechanics for Energy and the Environment, 29, 100275.

2021

Houhou, R., Sutman, M., Sadek, S., & Laloui, L., Engineering Geology, 287, 105928.

Garbellini, C., & Laloui, L., Géotechnique, 71(3), 260-271.

Laloui, L., & Sutman, M., Geomechanics for Energy and the Environment, 27, 100214.

Zannin, J., Ferrari, A., Pousse, M., & Laloui, L., Underground Space, 6(2), 173-184.

Zannin, J., Ferrari, A., Kazerani, T., Koliji, A., & Laloui, L., Geomechanics for Energy and the Environment, 29, 100275.

Adinolfi, M., Loria, A. F. R., Laloui, L., & Aversa, S., Geomechanics for Energy and the Environment, 25, 100208.

2020

Ravera, E., Sutman, M., & Laloui, L., Canadian Geotechnical Journal.

Zannin, J., Ferrari, A., Larrey-Lassalle, P., & Laloui, L., Geomechanics for Energy and the Environment100218.

Zannin, J., Loria, A. F. R., Llabjani, Q., & Laloui, L., Computers and Geotechnics 128, 103618.

A.F.R. Loria, J.V.C. Oltra, L. Laloui, Computers and Geotechnics 120, 103410.

  • Hydrothermal interactions in energy walls

J. Zannin, A. Ferrari, M. Pousse, L. Laloui, Underground Space.

A.F.R. Loria, M. Bocco, C. Garbellini, A. Muttoni, L. Laloui, Geomechanics for Energy and the Environment 21, 100153, DOI: 10.1016/j.gete.2019.100153.

M. Sutman, G. Speranza, A. Ferrari, P. Larrey-Lassalle, L. Laloui, Renewable Energy 146, 1177-1191, DOI: 10.1016/j.renene.2019.07.035.

C. Garbellini, L. Laloui,  Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering, DOI: 10.1061/9780784482780.005.

Elena Ravera, Melis Sutman,  Lyesse Laloui, Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineeringdoi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)GT.1943-5606.0002258

2019

C. Garbellini, L. Laloui,Géotechnique, 1-12, DOI: 10.1680/jgeot.19.p.208.

Elena Ravera, Melis Sutman,  Lyesse Laloui, Computers and Geotechnics, doi.org/10.1016/j.compgeo.2019.103294

Benoît Cousin, Alessandro F.Rotta Loria, Andrew Bourget, Fabrice Rognon, Lyesse Laloui, Tunnelling and Underground Space Technology DOI: 10.1016/j.tust.2019.102997,  2019

Media:

2023-2024

2022-2021

2020-2019

Tech – Transfer

We developed the first geo-thermal panel that efficiently captures both geothermal and waster heat in existing indoor environments located in the underground and transfers it for renewable heating and cooling to buildings. Unlike conventional geothermal systems, the technology developed relies on a non-invasive installation, allowing the use of shallow geothermal energy in existing buildings. The modular geo-thermal panels are meant to be installed in existing underground indoor environments such as underground parking, underground transportation hubs, tunnels etc. With the modular geo-thermal panels we facilitate access to renewable shallow geothermal energy to existing buildings while reducing capital investments, operation costs and CO2 emissions.