Background
Energy storage is essential for the decarbonisation of the heat supply. Long-term or seasonal heat storage in particular plays a key role in integrating renewable or low (zero)-emission sources such as solar thermal energy, heat from combined heat and power generation, industrial waste heat or deep geothermal energy. Due to their large storage capacity, underground thermal energy storage systems (UTES) offer good conditions for seasonal heat storage. By storing heat during periods of surplus energy (e.g. in summer) and utilising it in winter, energy systems can be made significantly more efficient.
In the Section Geoenergy we investigate Underground Thermal Energy Storage (UTES), its implementation in different geological settings, its possible environmental impacts, and we scrutinise methods and technologies that minimise those impacts.
The focus of our research work here is on Aquifer Thermal Energy Storage (ATES), the storage and recovery of heat in aquifers, which are permeable layers that contain groundwater.
Our research encompasses a wide range of activities, including laboratory studies, field experiments and scientific support and knowledge transfer for demonstration projects.
A key element of our research is the development of scientific methods to enhance the exploration, development and operation of the storage. One notable example of this is the use of fibre optic technology for measuring temperature, strain and acoustics. This technology is employed in a wide range of applications, from seismic exploration to monitoring storage installation, operation and its potential impact on the environment.
Key scientific questions
- How do we efficiently explore suitable geological structures and characterise their geological, hydraulic, geochemical and microbiological properties?
- What thermal, hydraulic, geochemical and microbiological interactions arise from storage operation, what effects do these have on storage performance and the environment and how can we influence them?
- How can aquifer storage systems be optimally integrated and safely operated, taking into account the specific storage properties and the technical and energy-economic framework conditions of energy systems?
Related Projects
- Reallabor GeoSpeicher Berlin | Integrating a high-temperature aquifer thermal energy storage into a district heating network
- PUSH-IT | Piloting Underground Storage of Heat In geoThermal reservoirs
- Speichercity | Development of innovative models for the system integration of aquifer storage sites
- PotAMMO | Potentials of aquifer heat storage in the model regions Mannheim and Offenbach
- ATES iQ | Geothermal use of the carbonate rocks in the northern German basin
- GeoFern | Geothermal District Heat Supply in Berlin
- VESTA | Very-High-Temperature Heat Aquifer Storage
