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10th Praxisforum Geothermie.Bayern conference – Oct. 5-7, 2022

10th Praxisforum Geothermie.Bayern conference – Oct. 5-7, 2022 Event banner (source: Enerchange)
Alexander Richter 1 Aug 2022

The 10th Praxisforum Geothermie.Bayern will take place again this year in Pullach, Bavaria - it has established itself as one of the key geothermal events in Germany.

From October 5th to 7th, 2022, the geothermal industry will meet again at the Praxisforum Geothermie.Bayern, an established and key meeting point for the geothermal sector in Germany. The event will take place again in the municipality of Pullach near Munich, Germany. For ten years now, climate-friendly geothermal heat and power generation has been the focus of this event. The current global political situation shows very clearly how important it is to have a regional energy supply that is independent of imported fuels.

“When we organized the Praxisforum Geothermie.Bayern for the first time ten years ago, geothermal energy was still a niche topic,” remembers Dr. Jochen Schneider, Managing Director of Enerchange and organizer of the practice forum. “Today it is firmly established in many municipalities. Numerous cities and communities are searching for ways to become less dependent on fossil fuels and want to explore their geothermal potential. Project developers are active in many rural communities in Bavaria, and new projects are emerging around Munich as well as in eastern Bavaria. The Upper Rhine Graben is also predestined for geothermal use. In all this dynamic, it is important to take the local population with you and to promote local acceptance.”

The tenth Praxisforum Geothermie.Bayern, which will take place from October 5th to 7th, 2022 in the community center in Pullach and as a hybrid event also online, moves in this field of tension. Experts from politics, science and practice will discuss the diverse energy use options offered by geothermal energy. On the one hand, the wide-ranging program focuses on acceptance among the population, on the other hand, technical and economic aspects are prominently represented.

Artificial Intelligence – Workshops on October 5th

How artificial intelligence (AI) has found its way into very different areas of geothermal energy and how it makes it more efficient is the overarching topic of the workshop day on October 5th. Among other things, Dr. Hartwig von Hartmann from the Leibnitz Institute for Applied Geophysics (LIAG) will talk about the possibilities of machine learning within geothermal exploration. Franz Barenth from Stadtwerke München (SWM), on the other hand, will present the use of artificial intelligence in the operating phase.

In the evening, the Ice Breaker Event offers the opportunity for networking in a relaxed atmosphere. We invite workshop and congress participants to finger food and drinks in the “Treibhaus” bistro right at the conference venue.

Congress day on October 6th

The congress day is devoted to a variety of aspects. In the keynotes, Prof. Dr. Christian Buchmüller from the FH Westküste University of Applied Sciences will present the so-called market element and its effects on district heating prices. This ensures that the current price increases for fossil fuels can also be reflected in regenerative district heating – but do not necessarily have to.

The sociologist Dr. Fritz Reusswig from the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) deals in depth with the acceptance of renewable energy projects in the population. At the practical forum Geothermie.Bayern he will place the acceptance of geothermal projects in the context of the energy transition and shed light on dynamics and future prospects.

In the subsequent Forum I, the focus remains on the subject of acceptance. Project developers and municipal utilities will present their experiences with citizen participation, such as Dr. Herbert Pohl from Deutsche Erdwärme and Michael Silva from SWM. But the journalistic view of deep geothermal projects is also exciting. We were able to win Michael Morosow from the Süddeutsche Zeitung for this.

Forum II on the afternoon of the congress day will show the diverse energy use options of geothermal energy: district heating and cooling, electricity, supply of greenhouses and industrial processes. Among other things, Stefan Lange from MTU Aero Engines AG will present deep geothermal energy as an efficient solution for industry. Peter Keglovic will present the latest developments in the GeoTief Vienna research project.

Award ceremonies

As always, a highlight is the presentation of the geothermal energy awards for the best Bavarian systems in the categories of electricity and heat. And young scientists will again be awarded the Christian Hecht Prize. The award ceremonies will take place in the early afternoon of the day of the congress before Forum II.

GeoTHOUR on October 7th

On October 7th, the GeoTHOUR shows the history of geothermal energy in the Munich region. The Riem geothermal plant has been supplying 16,000 people with regenerative district heating since 2004. On the other hand, the youngest child in the plant park of Stadtwerke München is the geothermal heating plant in Sendling with six wells. The participants can experience the technology during operation and find competent contact persons for their questions.

Secure the early bird discount now!

The second stage of the early bird discount is still valid until July 31, with prices reduced by around 10 percent. Participation on the congress day costs 490 euros, for the workshop day and the GeoTHOUR it is 245 euros. Due to the positive feedback, online participation will be possible again, as in the last two years. This also costs 245 euros.

Registration is possible at https://www.praxisforum-geothermie.bayern/de/pfb22-anmeldung