Geothermal energy in public discourse: GFZ

05/17/2024 Germany Berlin/Brandenburg Department 4: Geosysteme Scientific Networks Geothermal Energy Groundwater Politics Topic 8: Georessourcen│ GFZ News_2024 4-8-Geoenergie Kacheln unterm Slider

The GFZ Geoenergy Section made many contributions to the recent Berlin Energy Days

Audience and 6 panelists with a moderator on the podium (standing) — Panel discussion at the Berlin Energy Days. From left to right: Hermann (Grüne), Preuss (EWP), Maaß (BMWK), Sass (GFZ), Mehltretter (SPD), Müller-Kraenner (DUH), Moderator: Bethge (DUH) *(GFZ)*

Speaker at the Berlin Energy Days with an audience. The presentation slide reads: Example Hesse: 43% of the area is covered by water protection areas — Lecture by Prof. Ingo Sass at the Berlin Energy Days *(GFZ)*

Lecture room — Expert discussion at the Berlin Energy Days. *(GFZ)*

Sass und Giffey Portraitfoto — Franziska Giffey and Prof. Ingo Sass at the Berlin Energy Days. Franziska Giffey is Senator for Economics, Energy and Public Enterprises in Berlin. *(GFZ)*

“Geothermal energy and groundwater protection” was the GFZ's main topic at this year's Berlin Energy Days (BET). The BET are Germany's leading event on the energy transition with a total of 38,000 registrations for an online and an in-person part. As in previous years, the GFZ Geoenergy Section was represented at the BET with a series of events.

In the online block, which already took place in April, project manager Stefan Kranz from the GFZ presented the real-life laboratory project “Geospeicher” (translates into GeoStorage, together with BTB, Adlershof) in a session of the German Renewable Energy Research Association FVEE. In the in-person event, which took place this week in the Ludwig-Erhard-Haus in Berlin, the GFZ was involved in three sessions and had organized its own session. In the GFZ session, section head Ingo Sass explained key aspects of the use of geothermal energy in drinking water protection areas. The focus was to highlight and discuss geothermal energy's different usage interests between groundwater protection and climate protection.

He also discussed the topic of deep geothermal energy and the heat transition in a panel discussion with Bernhard Herrmann (Bündnis 90/Grüne) and Andreas Mehltretter (SPD), both members of the German Bundestag, and Christian Maaß, Head of the "Heat, Hydrogen and Efficiency" Department at the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection. RIFS was also involved in a high-ranking session on international hydrogen cooperation (HyPat project).