Knowledge Sharing Workshop 2024 impressions

Knowledge Sharing Workshop organised by the GEOTHERMICA Initiative, JPP Smart Energy Systems, the Clean Energy Transition Partnership, & hosted by the SFOE Swiss Federal Office of Energy. This full-day, in-person event took place on 11th of September in Bern, Switzerland and was packed with insightful presentations, discussions, and networking opportunities.

The workshop brought together leading experts and innovators in the geothermal energy sector to foster knowledge exchange and bring the value for innovative projects closer. In conjunction with the mid-term review of various projects focused on cutting-edge technologies for heating and cooling using geothermal energy, we explored key topics such as commercialisation, project funding, sector coupling, and the future of thermal energy storage.

The day started with a warm welcome and introductions from Halla Hrund Logadóttir, Chair of the GEOTHERMICA Initiative; Gerdi Breembroek, CETPartnership expert in Heating & Cooling; and Emina Pasic, a representative from the JPP Smart Energy Systems Network. Their opening remarks emphasized the organizations' significant contributions to advancing geothermal energy in Europe, highlighting transnational investments in projects totaling over €70 million. They also stressed the importance of collaboration and innovation, urging continued efforts to share knowledge in order to tackle global energy challenges and create a sustainable future.

The agenda featured presentations from innovative projects like Galleries to Calories, TRAINING, GOES, DEEP, DEMO-FTES, DEEPEN, DEEP, DEPLOI, DEEPLIGHT, MALEG, Perform II and S-GeoHeat (see on the right) showcasing the advancements in geothermal heating and cooling technologies. More on projects here.

Attendees enjoyed keynote speeches, including Michel Meyer from SIG on geothermal storage solutions for a low-carbon thermal system in Geneva, and Ray Neubauer, CEO of Ahoy-Hoy, on turning innovative ideas into market-ready solutions.

Two panel discussions led by Paul Ramsak and Ray Neubauer delved into the challenges and solutions for the projects with input from Christopher McDermott (G2C project), Halla Hrund (GEOTHERMICA Initiatve, Orkustofnun), Jan Jette Blangé from Canopus Drilling, Lauren Boyd from DoE GEOTHERMICA Initiative, and Michel Meyer.

Second panel focused and discussed how to implement the next steps for market commercialization, with input from industry leaders like Stéphane Bungener from Climeworks, Diederik Wawoe from DEPLOI, Metin Zerman from Equitypitcher Ventures and Wiebe Boomsma from DEEPLIGHT project.

The event concluded with reflections from Florence Bégué of SFOE and Halla Hrund Logadóttir, summarised with a networking session during which participants continued to share ideas and foster collaborations for the future of accelerating the heating and cooling transition.

Do not hesitate to contact us if you need more information or want to collaborate.