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GFZ Potsdam puts science first at EGC 2022

GFZ Potsdam puts science first at EGC 2022 Geoforschungszentrum (GFZ) Potsdam, Germany (source: Andreas Schwarzkopf, commons.wikimedia)
Carlo Cariaga 21 Sep 2022

Renowned scientists from GFZ Potsdam, Fraunhofer IEG, and the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology will be holding sessions as part of EGC 2022.

From the 17th to the 21st of October 2022, the European geothermal industry will meet at the bcc (Berlin Congress Center) to discuss the latest developments in this emerging renewable energy.

The European Geothermal Congress (EGC) brings together science, business and politics to find solutions for the current heat crisis. The four main topics of the congress in Berlin are “Geothermal Solutions for Future Renewable Energy Systems”, “Policy & Markets”, “Technology & Innovation”, and “Research & Development”. The opening ceremony of the EGC 2022 will take place on Tuesday, the 18th of October 2022.

In addition to politicians, a number of renowned scientists will speak there, including Prof. Dr. Ingo Sass, Head of the Geoenergy Section at the Helmholtz Centre Potsdam German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ). Together with Prof. Dr. Rolf Bracke, Director of the Fraunhofer IEG, he will present the “Roadmap Deep Geothermal Energy for Germany”, which has been developed in cooperation of the both institutes.

Half of the municipal heating demand is to be covered by climate-neutral sources by 2030. Deep geothermal energy can make a major contribution to achieving this goal of the German government, because it provides local energy consistently and independently of the weather and occupies little space in settlements. The joint roadmap of institutions of the Helmholtz Association and the Fraunhofer Institute shows that deep geothermal energy has the potential in Germany to meet expansion targets of more than a quarter of Germany’s annual heat demand (over 300 TWh). The paper provides recommendations for action to achieve this goal.

“Without geothermal energy, decarbonisation of the heating sector in Germany will not be possible. The natural underground heat potential for this is available in most urban areas. The sustainable expansion of geothermal energy is an investment in the cities of our future,” says Prof. Dr. Ingo Sass, head of the “Geoenergy” section at the Helmholtz Centre Potsdam – German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ).

In the Semiplenary session 1A on Wednesday, Ingo Sass will present a future-orientated project: the GeoLab. It is a research mine that is being built together with the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and other partners. “We will specifically go into the crystalline underground,” says Ingo Sass, “because we know that the overwhelming majority of major German cities have this type of rock underground at depths that can be reached with boreholes. The transfer effect of GeoLaB will be of great importance for the heat transition in metropolitan areas.”

Anyone who wants to know more about the GFZ’s current research can get information at booths no. B 22 and B23.

The congress will be rounded off on the last day by the chance to experience geothermal- relevant projects on site. The GFZ offers two excursions to interested guests. The tour through the laboratories and pilot plant halls of the research centre has met with great interest and is already fully booked. There are still a few places available for the geological tour as part of an all-terrain vehicle tour on the edge of the Rüdersdorf limestone mine led by the GFZ.

About the Congress

The European Geothermal Energy Congress will take place from 17 to 21 October 2022 at the BCC, Berlin, Germany. Every three years, stakeholders from all areas of the geothermal sector meet at the EGC, which this year is jointly organised by the European Geothermal Energy Council (EGEC) and the Bundesverband Geothermie e.V. (BVG) in Berlin. The program was prepared under the leadership of Prof. Dr. Ernst Huenges, former head of the Geoenergy section at the GFZ. Together with 60 other geothermal experts from all over Europe, more than 400 submitted scientific papers were reviewed, evaluated and compiled into a diverse and appealing program.

Helmholtz Centre Potsdam German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ) is the MAIN INSTITUTIONAL PARTNER of the EGC2022.

Source: EGC 2022