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.

Darmstadt – Claire Bossenec (GFZ Potsdam):

Looking back at the first year of PUSH-IT, what are you most proud of?

We completed the borehole and the E-GRT test, so we can better understand our system behaviour. There is still so much to discover and test soon, and we can see already the positive impact our site has on BTES development outside of the research project group.

What are your resolutions for 2024?

Learn a lot, foster communication and engagement on-site, see clear progress in other sites, improve dialogue and progress in all work packages, and see the interconnections we started to develop. With this we will be able to flourish and raise high impact for underground thermal energy storage technologies and integrate these in their socio-economic environment.

United Downs – Thomas Olver (Geothermal Engineering Ltd):

Looking back at the first year of PUSH-IT, what are you most proud of?

We conducted an extensive mine plan search which has informed the next phase of the feasibility study. Mine water sampling has been conducted and fluids from the United Downs deep geothermal reservoir have been analysed, which will inform a better understanding of the hydrological system and any relationship between the shallow mine and deep fluids.

What are your resolutions for 2024?

In 2024, the feasibility study will continue with more targeted mine water sampling, microbiological analysis and computational modelling. We will also form a regulatory and policy framework alongside the British Geological Survey (BGS). GEL’s community engagement around geothermal and the PUSH-IT project will continue.

Bochum – Stefan Klein (Fraunhofer IEG):

Looking back at the first year of PUSH-IT, what are you most proud of?

As usual the hardest part is getting started and in Bochum we more or less started from scratch. It needed a while to set the whole scene – like in a movie – all actors first have to be hired, but after the first year those are finally together, motivated and looking forward for the ‘PUSH-IT script’. That I am very proud of.

What are your resolutions for 2024?

The current decision from the German parliament about rising CO2 fees emphasizes the urgent need for widespread independent and local technologies like underground heat storage – and we can make a jump towards engagement, acceptance and dissemination of this technology as one of the PUSH-IT demo sites! We are looking forward to tightening the project together with the Ruhr-University and hopefully turn into operation to realise first results from our drilling works.

Delft – Martin Bloemendal (TU Delft):

Looking back at the first year of PUSH-IT, what are you most proud of?

Getting the team up and running and finishing the fully elaborated workplan. Getting all the stakeholders on campus and collaboration companies on-board on wanting to co-invest in the HT-ATES and aligning integration in the heat system.

What are your resolutions for 2024?

The biggest challenges are now to keep activities moving forward. We cannot cope with any delays to reach demonstration within the PUSH-IT horizon. So, our resolution is to firmly manage activities on a critical path, while also progressing on the required enabling technologies improvements. Furthermore, ongoing coordination for the integration of the HT-ATES in the energy system remains paramount to maximize greenhouse gas emission reduction using HT-ATES.

Litomĕřice – Antonin Tym (Charles University/Czech Geological Survey):

Looking back at the first year of PUSH-IT, what are you most proud of?

Getting started! It is always one of the most demanding stages in every international project and we believe it went very well in PUSH-IT. Despite many sites and teams being involved, it looks like we have been working as one team heading the same direction and trying to support each other.

Concerning the Litomĕřice site, we have managed to start and finish tendering process with great support from TU Delft and GfZ and we are just about to start drilling two pilot wells now, so very excited about that!

What are your resolutions for 2024?

Following the hard work with drilling preparations in 2023, we really look forward to implementing the pilot wells and providing data from cores and logging for further investigation and analysis.

This brings new information for our current theoretical models so we can improve the design of the BTES system wells or develop new ones, being inspired by Bochum, Darmstadt or Delft sites. So, the major progress for the Litomĕřice site is just ahead of us!