Today, 15 November 2021, the German Research Centre for Geosciences Potsdam GFZ started an exploratory drilling in Berlin-Adlershof. This exploration is intended to create the conditions for a climate-friendly district heating supply for Berlin with the help of a seasonal geothermal aquifer heat storage facility.

Aquifers are porous, deep aquifers that have great potential for seasonal heat storage. They can absorb surplus heat from the summer months, which can then be used during the autumn and winter.

As part of the project funded by the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology (BMWi), the exploratory borehole is to be sunk to a depth of about 650 metres in the coming months. In the process, several hundred metres of drill cores will be obtained for scientific investigations.

This exploratory drilling will improve the geological understanding of the structure of Berlin's deeper underground in order to be able to make statements about the storage capacity of these geological horizons. Together with the BTB Blockheizkraftwerks-Träger- und Betreibergesellschaft, storage concepts are being developed on this basis in order to integrate seasonal heat storage into the existing district heating supply.

In addition to the suitability of the aquifer, the GFZ is also investigating possible interactions of the porous storage rock with the environment. Extensive mineralogical-geochemical analyses are being carried out both directly on site and in laboratories.

The project leader, Ali Saadat, engineer and scientist from the Geoenergy Section at the GFZ, sees the expansion of geothermal energy as an important contribution to the decarbonisation of Berlin's energy supply and says: "This exploratory drilling is an important step for the future of a climate-neutral heat supply for the city. The geothermal utilisation potential needs to be significantly expanded to play a greater role in the energy mix."

More information about the project can be found in the project flyer.

Scientific contact:

Dr.-Ing. Ali Saadat
Section 4.8 Geoenergy
Helmholtz Centre Potsdam
GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences
Telegrafenberg
14473 Potsdam
Phone: +49 331 288 1459
Email: ali.saadat@gfz-potsdam.de

Media contact:

Josef Zens
Head of Public and Media Relations
Helmholtz Centre Potsdam
GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences
Telegrafenberg
14473 Potsdam
Phone: +49 331 288 1040
Email: josef.zens@gfz-potsdam.de