News
Last week, the PUSH-IT General Assembly was held in the National Maritime Museum Cornwall in Falmouth, UK. The goal is to reflect on the progress of all the different aspects of the project and of course reconnect with partners from across Europe. It was great to see all the passion there is for bringing the technology around UTES to a higher level.
In this edition of Meet the Scientist we interview Elke Mugova. She is a researcher at the Fraunhofer Research Institution for Energy Infrastructures and Geotechnologies, where she is a hydrogeologist that examines the water in the old mines below Bochum, but she also works in public relations to bridge the gap between the research and the community.
To realize all the goals of the PUSH-IT project, several companies are involved, from drilling the actual wells to the digital modelling of the system. In this series, we want to highlight some of those companies. Who are they? How do they contribute to the PUSH-IT project? What are their future plans ? In this edition: Haitjema groundwater technologies.
Practicing Open Science is an important principle in the PUSH-IT project in order to make best use of the project results during and after the project. The use and the development of open standards and also practicing open science is important to maximize the use of the results during and after the project lifespan. Open Science assures that the (intermediate) results of the project are findable, accessible, interoperable and reusable by others.
In this edition of Meet the Scientist we interview Vít Peřestý. He is a researcher at the Czech Geological Survey, where he focuses on the geological evaluation of the area around Litoměřice to check for suitability for Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS) and Underground Thermal Energy Storage (UTES).
Researchers from the University of Darmstadt have done research into the thermal behavior and efficiency of a medium-deep borehole thermal energy storage (MD-BTES) system using a distributed geothermal response test (dGRT) on a 750 m deep coaxial borehole.
A few weeks ago, a very important achievement was reached at the site in Darmstadt. The Medium-Deep Borehole Thermal Energy Storage (MD-BTES) system was connected to the heating network of the TU Darmstadt Campus. We asked Markus Schedel about the process that lead to this achievement and the steps going forward.
Researchers from the University of Geneva are working on developing a Spacial Multi Criteria Analysis (SMCA) of UTES. This tool could help in the future in selecting sites for UTES. But what is an SMCA exactly, what can you do with it and how far along is the process? We asked Yasin Makhloufi and Andrea Moscariello from the University of Geneva.
One of the Enabling Technologies that is being developed by the Push-It project is the Hot Push Pull Test (HPPT). This test should give an insight in the effect that (HT-)ATES has on thermohydraulic storage behaviour, aquifer chemistry, microbiology and fluid-rock interactions.
In the coming months, PUSH-IT will organise a series of professional stakeholder round tables across its six pilot sites. These interactive sessions are designed to gather insights, drivers, and concerns from the organisations that play a key role in making Underground Thermal Energy Storage (UTES) a successful part of Europe’s future energy system.
At TU Delft, research has been conducted into well design and so called mud and well integrity tests have been performed. We asked Alexis Koulidis, one of the researchers on this subject, what those are and how they contribute to achieving the PUSH-IT goals.
Earlier this year, Willem Hagemanna, Jaßper Weichmann, Hannes Gernandt, Franziska Krenzlina and Johannes Schiffer published a paper on the use of neural networks in modelling and optimization of borehole thermal energy storage systems. These physics-based networks help to make the model suitable for optimization and control design.
At the end of August, a few researchersfrom our consortium attended the Royal Geograpical Society’s (RGS) Annual International Conference in Birmingham, England. Madeleine Kechagia and Merryn Thomas also gave presentations on “Methods and challenges of interdisciplinary collaborations” and “Diverse collaborations for creative energy engagement” respectively.
A new study by David Geerts and Wen Liu from Utrecht University and Alexandros Daniilidis from TU Delft presents a groundbreaking solution for integrating High-Temperature Aquifer Thermal Energy Storage (HT-ATES) into energy system modeling. The key innovation? A fast, accurate, and openly accessible data-driven model that estimates the production temperature of HT-ATES systems—without the computational cost of traditional physics-based simulations.
In this edition of Meet the Scientist we interview Merryn Thomas. She is a researcher at the University of Exeter, where she focuses her research on the societal engagement around UTES.
At the recent General Assembly in Bochum, the United Downs site has given an update of the progress that has been made. This will be discussed together with a recap of the site’s goals and objectives.
At the recent General Assembly in Bochum, the Berlin site has given an update of the progress that has been made. This will be discussed together with a recap of the site’s goals and objectives.
At the recent General Assembly in Bochum, the Bochum site itself has also given an update of the progress that has been made. This will be discussed together with a recap of the site’s goals and objectives.
At the recent General Assembly in Bochum, the Darmstadt site has given an update of the progress that has been made. This will be discussed together with a recap of the site’s goals and objectives.
In this edition of Meet the Scientist we interview Wen Liu. She is a researcher at the Copernicus Institute of Sustainable Development at Utrecht University, where she focuses her research on sustainable heat transition and seasonal thermal energy storage.
At the recent General Assembly in Bochum, the Delft site has given an update of the progress that has been made. This will be discussed together with a recap of the site’s goals and objectives.
Last week, the Push-IT consortium came together for 2.5 energising and inspiring days at the Fraunhofer Institute in Bochum, Germany. It was fantastic to reconnect face-to-face with partners from across Europe and realign around our shared mission of driving innovation and impact.
Each year during GeoWeek, students aged 10 to 15 get the opportunity to explore the exciting world of geo-sciences. Across the Netherlands, they participate in fieldwork, visit companies, or attend guest lectures given by professionals from the soil, water, and geo-information sectors. The focus of the week is on hands-on learning — from drilling soil samples and creating digital maps to testing the strength of dikes.
We’re excited to invite you to the first webinar organized by the IEA Energy Storage (ES) Task 45 group, a leading initiative focused on advancing Large Thermal Energy Storage (LTES) technologies. This online event marks the beginning of a series dedicated to unlocking the potential of Pit (PTES), Borehole (BTES), Tank (TTES), and Aquifer (ATES) thermal energy storage systems.
One of the Enabling Technologies that is being developed by the Push-It project is the Smart District Heating Controller. This controller should monitor and control the heating system. That is all well and good, but how does it work? What are the challenges the team is facing? What is the current status of development? We asked Bram van der Heijde, who is a developer on this part of the project.
One of the most critical technical challenges in developing sustainable thermal energy storage systems lies beneath the surface—quite literally. One of the enabling technologies the Push-It project is developing is understanding and addressing water quality issues that could impact the long-term viability of these systems. The quality of the water involved plays a vital role in ensuring system performance and longevity.
The PUSH-IT team has successfully completed a major milestone in the development of its geothermal research site in Litoměřice, with the drilling and preparation of two key monitoring wells. This marks a crucial step toward better understanding the site’s subsurface and preparing for future Borehole Thermal Energy Storage (BTES) systems.
One of the Enabling Technologies that is being developed by the Push-It project is Co-Simulation. This simulation models the complete UTES system. That is all well and good, but how does it work? What are the challenges the team is facing? What is the current status of development? We asked Max Ohagen, who is a developer on this part of the project.
In a new contribution to the advancement of sustainable thermal energy technologies, a newly published scientific paper outlines key insights into the performance of High-Temperature Aquifer Thermal Energy Storage (HT-ATES) systems. The study reveals how physical parameters of the subsurface can be used to estimate system efficiency, and it offers a valuable open-access dataset to support further research and development.
Across the continent, multiple research and demonstration projects are working in parallel to develop and deploy TES solutions tailored for local energy systems. Today, we’re highlighting one of those exciting initiatives: the INTERSTORES Project.
Across the continent, multiple research and demonstration projects are working in parallel to develop and deploy TES solutions tailored for local energy systems. Today, we’re highlighting one of those exciting initiatives: the Treasure Project.
The Push-It project not only works on site to create UTES systems. It also develops enabling technologies to make it easier to create and implement those systems.
As part of the Push-It project, a new hydrogeological borehole at Litoměřice has been established to monitor groundwater flow and quality. Located at a future site for underground heat storage, the borehole will play a key role in observing groundwater velocity, flow direction, and chemical composition at depths ranging from 100 to 400 meters.
Vit Peresty takes us through the drilling of a hydrogeological borehole at the RINGEN research center at Litoměřice.
A cored borehole is currently being drilled on the RINGEN research center site, which will provide rock samples from depths ranging from the surface to 550m. Their analysis and geophysical measurements directly in the borehole will provide valuable information for planning underground heat storage in boreholes of various depths.
Over the last months, two types of logs have been performed on the site in United Downs. Level loggers have been installed in some mine shafts and temperature logs have been performed.
One of the key challenges faced by the PUSH-IT project is the complex regulatory landscape for High Temperature Underground Thermal Energy Storage (HT-UTES) technologies. This varies significantly across different countries. PUSH IT aims to identify and compile key regulations, evaluate their effectiveness and propose guidelines for a more effective and proportionate regulatory approach. This will help streamline the permitting process and accelerate the deployment of geothermal storage projects.
In this edition of Meet the Scientists we interview Tessel Grubben, PhD candidate, and Alexis Koulidis, post-doctoral researcher, both at TU Delft. Tessel and Alexis focus on well construction.
Professor Igno Sass, a hydrogeologist and process engineer at the Technical University of Darmstadt, explains about the groundbreaking BTES-project to develop a deep, high-temperature heat storage system in Darmstad, as part of the larger European Push-it project.
Our researcher Elke Mugova from the MTES pilot site in Bochum attended the BEOS conference (Business of Energy Opportunities Show) in London, where she gained valuable insights that will benefit our ongoing efforts in the PUSH-IT project.
Organizing an accessible and inclusive event is not just meeting legal requirements; it’s about proactively creating a space where participants feel valued.
We are excited to introduce our new infographic on organizing accessible and inclusive engagement events, designed to highlight Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) issues.
“We chose creative and playful approaches because they offer accessible and enjoyable ways to explore complex and unfamiliar issues.” Dr. Merryn Thomas talks about new and innovative methods to engage with stakeholders. Public engagement is essential to ensure that technologies like Underground Energy Storage (UTES) are accepted, fair and legitimate. But for many of us, UTES is invisible and unfamiliar.
About Technologies ATES BTES MTES Topics Social engagement Optimal system integration Enabling technologies Pilots Bochum Delft Darmstadt Berlin United Downs Litoměřice Consortium News Repository Contact Geothermal Well at Cornwall site due to complete in early
Policymakers and the geothermal sector should do more to include local communities in energy decision-making. This is what an interdisciplinary group of researchers recommend in a newly published chapter. They argue that inclusive, early and continuous societal engagement should be prioritised to maximise the benefits of geothermal technologies.
In September, during the PUSH-IT General Assembly in Darmstadt, project members participated in a workshop on local stakeholder engagement and communication. The workshop encouraged participants to step into the shoes of a local citizen. The goal was to help project members refine their approach to communicating with the stakeholders impacted by their work.
Our team from the German Research Centre for Geosciences GFZ, led by Stefan Kranz and Katrin Kieling, drilled a 410 m deep research well to investigate whether the Hettang sandstones at the Berlin Adlershof site are suitable for an ATES system that should be implemented in the existing district heating network.
After several months of technical and legal preparations, F-IEG started fieldwork in September 2024 to test and further develop MTES technology beneath the Ruhr University’s (RUB) technical center.
In this edition of Meet the Scientist we interview Hung Pham, site leader at TU Darmstadt. Hung’s expertise is in modelling of underground reservoirs and he handles project management. Read the full interview here.
At the demonstration location on the TU Delft Campus, a pilot and monitoring borehole was successfully drilled by Haitjema .
A depth of 220 meters was reached to check the suitability of the subsurface for high temperature heat storage.
Last week, the PUSH-IT project team met for two days at TU Darmstadt, Germany, to review what’s been accomplished so far and plan the next steps for the project. With the project now almost halfway through its four-year timeline, it was the perfect moment to reflect on progress and explore ways to keep pushing the project forward.
In July, we had the pleasure of hosting Amel Barich in our PUSH-IT webinars series on Societal Engagement to talk about the Horizon2020 Crowdthermal Project. Drawing on five sites varying in scale, purpose, and stage of development, the key lessons learned for gaining a Social Licence to Operate (SLO) for geothermal energy were…
Read the latest news, updates and stories about the developments in the PUSH-IT project on underground thermal energy storage.
As part of PUSH IT’s Work Package Task 3.3, focused on microbiology, BRGM has conducted several sampling missions over the past two months.
In this edition of Meet the Scientist we interview Annick Loschetter, research engineer at BRGM (French Geological Survey). Annick focusses on researching water quality within the PUSH-IT project.
PUSH-IT representatives attended the IEA Geothermal 2024 Mine Water Geothermal Energy Symposium, which brought together international participants to share case studies of mine water heating projects as well as developments in mine thermal energy storage (MTES).
Between April 15th and 17th 2024, new developments took place at the ATES site in Berlin Adlershof. Our team tackled some operational challenges within the research well and performed a workover. This intervention was necessary due to a previous issue related to a faulty cementing process during the installation of the well in 2022.
EGU Vienna, the general assembly of the European Geosciences Union, welcomed 20,000 attendees – including many PUSH-IT members.
They contributed to multiple of the hundreds of sessions. See the overview in this post to learn more about our conference contributions!
For technologies operating in the subsurface living environment, an appropriate regulatory framework is fundamental to protect the common interests of all users and prevent negative impacts on the environment. We aim to understand if and how this new technology is incorporated in existing regulations and if or where regulation may create barriers for widespread technology deployment.
Ready for take-off! At TU Delft Campus we just started drilling the exploratory well for the underground heat storage. Site lead Martin Bloemendal: “The technology is ready, we now want to demonstrate it to be both feasible and economically viable. It’s truly pioneering.”
Let us introduce you to our partner VITO, which focuses on how we can achieve smart control of heat networks to optimally integrate heat storage in the network.
PUSH-IT geologist Claire Bossenec gave a workshop on geothermal energy, heat storage and sustainable energy projects for high-school pupils.
The pupils learned how these technologies could shape our future cities and communities, and which type of jobs and expertise are needed for this to happen. We also delved into…
Last month, PUSH-IT organised a webinar for project members, featuring Daniëlle van Duin from Polycentric, who provided valuable insights into societal engagement in geothermal projects.
Let us introduce you to our partner Utrecht University, which focuses on reducing the costs of heat storage in PUSH-IT. Dr. Wen Liu is assistant professor at the Copernicus Institute of Sustainable Development at Utrecht University. This is a scientific institute for sustainability research and education.
In this edition of Meet the Scientist we interview Mel Rohse, Senior Research Fellow at the Global Sustainability Institute (Anglia Ruskin University). Mel focuses on societal engagement within the PUSH-IT project.
“Our societal engagement work matters because people matter!”
The long awaited drilling of two research wells began last week in Litoměřice, starting with the core well of 550 meters deep. Litoměřice belongs to one of the six pilot sites in Europe where research on the use of the underground for seasonal thermal energy storage is being carried out.
How does underground thermal energy storage influence microbial diversity?
This is one of the topics being researched using water quality sampling. Maud Watkinson and Sylvain Stephant, researchers at French Geological Survey (BRGM), recently visited the PUSH-IT pilot site in Delft to tackle this question.
This year we will see many new developments in the PUSH-IT project. We have asked the leads of the pilot sites to reflect on the first year of the project and to share their New Year’s resolutions.
There is a high heat demand in winter, while we produce heat that is not used in summer. We call this the seasonal mismatch in heat supply and demand.
How can we collaborate to overcome the seasonal mismatch between heat demand and heat production using underground heat storage? This was the main question we addressed in Prague and Litomĕřice during the PUSH-IT General Assembly.
Welcome to our new series, “Meet the Scientist,” where we dive deep into the research and personal background of the scientists working on the PUSH-IT project.
Five master students from TU Delft had the opportunity to work on a multidisciplinary geothermal project at the Litoměřice follower site, hosted by Charles University in Prague.
Technische Universität Darmstadt, Helmholtz-Potsdam GFZ and Fraunhofer IEG proudly presented their research at the German Geothermal Congress (DGK) last month.
Technische Universität Darmstadt, Helmholtz-Potsdam GFZ and Fraunhofer IEG proudly presented their research at the German Geothermal Congress (DGK) last month.
Our TU Delft geothermal team is looking for 2 Post-Docs.
It has been a while since the kick-off of PUSH-IT took place end of January in Delft.
Delft University of Technology is one of the six sites involved in the PUSH-IT project.
At the Lichtwiese Campus of Technische Universität Darmstadt, the Borehole Thermal Energy Storage (BTES) installation is now entering its final phase of completion!
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.
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