The project, whose budget is estimated at CZK 1.25 billion and should be implemented in 2022-2027 from the funds of the Operational Programme Just Transformation, is aimed at solving problems related to the energy transformation of the Ústí nad Labem Region and the Czech Republic and at developing conditions for the development and application of new clean energy sources. The key output is a set of pilot technologies of deep geothermal source, underground heat storage and electrolytic unit for green hydrogen production integrated into a functional technological "ecosystem".
"The workshop programme will be divided into a shallow and a deep part, and within each part Czech and foreign experts will discuss the technical aspects of each technology, geological conditions, design of shallow and deep wells, capacity of underground borehole storage tanks and integration of all technologies into one functional system," says Tomáš Fischer, Director of the RINGEN Centre. One of the key topics will also be long-term sustainability, impacts on the geological subsoil, stability and operational safety, which are essential for the successful implementation of the project and its long-term benefits.
In the region, the project will create a unique European test site focused on the use of geoenergy and the integration of other renewable sources with the main objective of providing safe, emission-free energy sources capable of replacing coal in district heating systems within 5-10 years. Certainly the most ambitious goal is to realise functional geothermal energy sources and underground heat storage, which could be experimentally connected e.g. to the already existing district heating system in Litoměřice, and to present geothermal energy as a functional and affordable renewable energy source.
Virtually all of the founding partners of RINGEN will be involved in the project in some way, the Czech Geological Survey will be the project promoter, and one of the new but key partners will be the University Centre for Energy Efficient Buildings at the Czech Technical University in Prague, which will focus on above-ground technologies.
"We are therefore delighted that the RINGEN Centre is hosting this important event, which will involve more than forty experts, a significant part of whom will be experts from Germany, Austria, France, Switzerland and the Netherlands, where they have many years of experience in the use of geothermal energy. We are thus fulfilling one of our missions, which is international networking with the top research centres and universities in Europe and cooperation with the private sector, whose representatives will also attend the meeting," adds Prof. Fischer. "We will also be able to present the topics discussed and the interim conclusions to the general public at a public discussion to be held on Tuesday 23 November at 5.30 pm at the Litoměřice Castle", concludes the RINGEN Director.
The international workshop was financially supported by the Grant Programme Assistance Vouchers of the Ústí nad Labem Region, project Support and Development of the Innovation Environment in the Ústí nad Labem Region II , reg. no. CZ.02.2.69/0.0/0.0/18_055/0014194."
