Follower site for Borehole Thermal Energy Storage (BTES).

The Litoměřice test site is a research infrastructure (RINGEN – Research Infrastructure for Geothermal ENergy) in Czechia focused on geothermal heat extraction and storage. In PUSH-IT, pilot wells for future Borehole Thermal Energy Storage system will be developed. We aim to do the following:

• Drill one exploratory cored well to 550 metres depth to characterise the rocks of the future BTES fields.
• Drill one hydrogeological well to 200 metres depth to evaluate hydrogeological conditions of the main aquifer in the area.
• Store the heat from various energy-producing technologies on the surface (solar thermal panels, photovoltaics, waste heat from hydrogen electrolyser, etc.) into the rocks down to circa 500 metres depth.
• In the future provide heat from underground to the district heating system of the Litoměřice town.

Project details

• Location: Former army barracks, Litoměřice
• Energy infrastructure:
  • District heating network that supplies Litoměřice town. For the grid connection, a smart network controller and plate heat exchanger will be designed within the new EU funded project SYNERGYS – systems for energy synergies.
• BTES heat source:
  • The site offers an interesting and unique opportunity to develop a series of heat sources such as solar thermal and hybrid PV panels, co-generation units, hydrogen electrolyser and Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) unit all concentrated in one place.
• Objectives of the demo site:
  • Drill one exploratory cored well to 550 m to gain proper knowledge of the target geological situation and rock properties and later turn this well into a monitoring well equipped with thermal sensors.
  • Use the obtained properties of rock environment in numerical models, co-simulation of surface energy flows and the underground response following the Darmstadt BTES demo site.
  • Drill one hydrogeological well to circa 200 m for groundwater sampling, execution of pump tests and long-term monitoring to increase knowledge on hydrogeological conditions influencing BTES design and efficiency.
  • Develop a tailored-made design of the future systemic BTES arrays in 100, 200 and 500 m storing excess heat coming from various renewable and alternative resources (see energy concept diagram).
• Status:
  • March 2023: All permissions for drilling ready.
  • April – August 2023: Tendering of the two wells opened
  • January – June 2024: Drilling works will be executed (read more), and long-term monitoring will be launched.