Heat use in winter: TU Clausthal presents innovative solutions!

Heat use in winter: TU Clausthal presents innovative solutions!

On July 23, 2025, a national status conference on underground heat storage took place as part of the 250th anniversary of the Clausthal University of Technology. Around 90 participants from various disciplines came together to present the results of a three-year project network. Scientists and practitioners were invited, organized by the Jülich project management agency and the Drilling Simulator Celle (DSC) research center at Clausthal University of Technology.

Clausthal University of Technology can look back on a long tradition in underground research and high-performance drilling technology. A central topic of the conference was heat supply, which accounts for around 50% of total energy consumption in Germany. A worrying trend was mentioned: the share of renewable energies in the heating sector has been stagnating for over a decade.

Challenges and solutions for the heat transition

One of the biggest issues discussed at the conference is seasonal storage of heat and cold. In this context, Aquifer Thermal Energy Storage (ATES) presented itself as a key technology to support the heat transition in Germany. The advantages of ATES are lower construction and operating costs as well as high capacities and efficiency.

As part of the network's projects, in which Clausthal University of Technology was also involved, important technical, geoscientific and systemic questions were addressed. A central component was the interdisciplinary collaborative project “GeoTES”. The aim of GeoTES is to develop a mathematical model for optimized thermal systems, using the example of a deposit in the Hanover/Burgwedel area. This model can also be transferred to other locations and has the potential to sustainably improve the heat supply in Germany.

Further research projects and their significance

The findings and progress gained through the GeoTES research project are linked to the Geoenergy Systems research platform of the TEN.efzn program. This creates the opportunity to use the results not only locally, but in a broader context, which could significantly promote the integration of renewable energies into the heating sector.

Everyone involved agrees that innovative approaches to heat storage are crucial to overcoming the challenges of energy supply in Germany. The topic remains current and requires continuous research and development in order to achieve the goals of the energy transition. Further information on these topics can be found, for example, at GeoTES as well as in the current status report from the BDEW on heat supply BDEW.