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Revolution in geothermal energy: Freiberg's software optimizes drilling!
The TU Freiberg is developing open source software to improve geothermal energy systems, tested from 2026, funded by the “WELLFREI” project.
Revolution in geothermal energy: Freiberg's software optimizes drilling!
On September 11th, 2025 it was announced that the Technical University of Freiberg was working on innovative software that could revolutionize the operation of geothermal systems. With this new one software Optimal conditions for the flow of hot thermal water and the injection of cold water into boreholes should be precisely calculated. A central goal is to avoid unwanted downtime, which can significantly disrupt the operation of such systems.
The software uses numerical simulations that are already successfully used in the planning and operation of existing geothermal systems. It takes into account important factors such as temperature, pressure, chemical composition of the water as well as geomechanics and sand production in the area near the borehole. The calculation basis for this software comes from published operating data from geothermal plants and from global research projects.
Open source initiative and funded research project
Another notable aspect of the development is that the software prototype will be tested on several geothermal systems in the coming year. In the long term, the software will be made available as a free open source solution for interested users to provide geothermal plant operators with an effective tool for monitoring, understanding and controlling drilling.
The project is part of the “WELLFREI” research program, which has been funded with 302,000 euros over a period of two years since September 1, 2025. This research project is led by Professor Moh’d Amro from the Chair of Geoflow, Conveyance and Storage Technology at the TU Freiberg. He emphasizes the importance of continuous monitoring of operating parameters, including pressure, temperature, pH and flow rate of thermal water, for stable operation.
Geothermal energy in Germany
There are around 150 geothermal systems in Germany that could generate heat or electricity from thermal water in the future. Access to hot water is usually via an injection and a production well, which must be planned individually. Thermal water from depths of over 400 meters is used for geothermal heating plants, while temperatures of over 120 degrees Celsius are necessary to generate electricity.
Hot thermal water is brought to the surface via a production well and circulates in a closed circuit before the cooled water is led back underground via an injection well. The new software makes these important operations more efficient to reduce operating costs and maximize the efficiency of geothermal systems.
In addition, research projects such as agEnS, which focuses on optimizing the drilling path, and GeBoLop, which aims to increase the service life of borehole shaft pumps, support development in the field of geothermal energy and contribute to knowledge transfer and the establishment of best practices. Innovation Report highlights the importance of these developments for energy supply.
In summary, the progress at TU Freiberg offers opportunities for improving existing geothermal systems as well as for the future development of new projects in geothermal technology that can make an important contribution to sustainable energy supply.