Across Australia, organisations are exploring new ways to reduce emissions, stabilise energy costs, and shift away from traditional HVAC systems. One emerging solution gaining momentum internationally is the combination of solar generation with borehole thermal energy storage (BTES).
Dewesoft recently showcased a real-world example. Conducted at their own engineering campus in Europe in a detailed article on solar-powered borehole thermal storage. Rather than replicating their content, this blog focuses on why this technology matters, how the monitoring system works, and the role Dewesoft data acquisition hardware—particularly the IOLITE series—plays in making the system efficient and self-optimising.
What Is Borehole Thermal Energy Storage?
BTES systems typically use boreholes between 20 m and 100 m deep depending on the thermal capacity required. In Dewesoft’s installation, the boreholes are 27 m deep, designed specifically for their site conditions and storage needs. Heat collected in summer—either from solar or building waste heat—is injected underground. Months later, that stored energy can be retrieved to heat the facility in winter.
The concept is simple. The execution is not.
BTES only works when underground temperatures and heat transfer behaviour are monitored with high precision.
Where Data Acquisition Fits In
To keep a BTES system efficient, several variables must be measured continuously:
- Temperature changes across different depths
- Thermal behaviour of the soil and rock
- Heat pump performance
- Flow rates and charging/discharging cycles
- Long-term seasonal energy trends
Dewesoft implemented a full monitoring solution. Built around the Dewesoft IOLITE data acquisition system, equipped with IOLITEi-8xRTD modules. In addition, high-accuracy PT100 temperature sensors installed at multiple depths within the boreholes.
This setup captures temperature data from the thermal field with excellent resolution, allowing the control system to determine:
- When to store heat (charging)
- When to extract heat (discharging)
- Whether the thermal field is performing as expected
- How the storage efficiency evolves over months and years
All data is logged using DewesoftX software and the Historian database. Which records measurements every 30 seconds and makes them accessible through dashboards and analysis tools such as Grafana and FUXA.
This “closed loop” of measurement → visualisation → optimisation is what makes the system genuinely high-performance.
Why This Matters for Australia
Australia’s climate and solar conditions are perfect for BTES adoption. With:
- High year-round solar availability
- Rising commercial cooling loads
- Pressure to reduce emissions
- Increasing demand for energy independence
Solar-driven BTES systems, supported by smart data acquisition, offer a credible pathway to lower operating expenses and more sustainable infrastructure.
Potential local applications include:
- Councils and community buildings
- Transport depots and operations centres
- University campuses
- Industrial facilities
- Remote or off-grid sites
- Large commercial buildings looking to reduce peak demand
With our climate, BTES systems could be even more effective here than in Europe—especially when supported by real-time measurement and monitoring.
Dewesoft IOLITE: The Engine Behind the Monitoring
The Dewesoft IOLITE series is ideal for this type of long-term thermal-energy monitoring because it offers:
✔ High-precision temperature measurement
IOLITEi-8xRTD modules support 4-wire PT100 sensors for extremely stable, accurate readings.
✔ Industrial reliability
Designed for permanent installations with EtherCAT communication and robust signal conditioning.
✔ Seamless integration
Works with heat pump data, HVAC, PLC systems and building automation networks.
✔ Long-term logging (Historian)
Data is stored securely, enabling seasonal pattern analysis and system optimisation.
✔ Seamless software experience
DewesoftX provides a unified environment for configuration, calibration, analytics and system health monitoring.
This is the kind of instrumentation that makes BTES not only possible but predictive, efficient and scalable.
Metromatics’ Support in Australia & New Zealand
As the authorised Dewesoft distributor, Metromatics supports engineers, councils, integrators and building-system designers looking to apply high-quality data acquisition to renewable energy projects.
We can assist with:
- IOLITE hardware selection
- Temperature measurement design
- DAQ integration with heat pumps or building automation
- Software setup and Historian configuration
- Long-term system monitoring architecture
Whether you’re evaluating BTES or building optimisation projects, the right instrumentation is key.
Final Thoughts
Solar-powered BTES offers a pathway to cleaner, more efficient buildings. But the real innovation is not just the storage field—it’s the real-time and long-term data acquisition that allows the system to work intelligently.
Dewesoft’s IOLITE-based monitoring approach demonstrates how high-quality measurement can transform a simple thermal concept into a highly efficient, data-driven renewable-energy solution.
As Australia pushes toward more sustainable infrastructure, technologies like this—powered by smart DAQ—are set to play a major role. To learn more, contact us.