PUSH-IT Summer School about Underground Thermal Energy Storage
A few weeks ago, PUSH-IT organized a summer school on underground thermal energy storage (UTES). During three inspiring days, students from across Europe explored the many technical, social, and practical aspects of storing heat underground.
The summer school took place in Bochum, Germany, at the offices of Fraunhofer IEG, close to the MTES demonstration site. Around 30 students attended, most with backgrounds in geosciences or geothermal energy technology, alongside several students from broader energy technology programmes.
The programme combined three main types of activities: expert lectures, group assignments, and excursions to relevant sites in the area.
The lectures covered a wide range of topics. Technical sessions focused on hydrodynamics, geology, and control systems, while other lectures highlighted the social side of UTES, including societal engagement, policy, and regulation.
The group assignments allowed students to apply what they had learned in a practical case study. Working in teams, they developed and presented their solutions on the final day. On the first day, the groups designed and sized a UTES system, calculating the required power and storage capacity for their case. On the second day, they carried out a socio-economic analysis, estimating capital and operational costs as well as the potential CO₂ emissions reduction. On the third day, they completed a stakeholder analysis, identifying possible social and legal concerns before presenting their complete case study to the other groups.
The programme also included two excursions. The first visit was to the MTES site on the Bochum campus, where students were able to see many of the concepts discussed in the lectures in practice. The second excursion took them to the Mining Museum, where they learned about the region’s mining history and the local geology that has shaped it.
Overall, the summer school was a great success. It offered students a valuable opportunity to deepen their knowledge of underground thermal energy storage, work together on realistic challenges, and connect with fellow students and experts from across Europe.
PUSH-IT is a project funded by the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 101096566.
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
