Accelerating Geothermal Heating and Cooling: Results from the GEOTHERMICA–JPP SES Joint Call 2021

How can geothermal resources supply more local heat, and what evidence do public authorities need to support their development? Projects funded through the GEOTHERMICA & JPP Smart Energy Systems Joint Call 2021 presented findings in Delft that address these questions from operating heating installations to underground storage and improved system design.

Held at TU Delft alongside Geothermal Innovation Days, the workshop brought project teams together with industry representatives and funding organisations. Exchanges with CETPartnership projects placed the results within the wider development of renewable heating and cooling.

Local resources for local heating

Geothermal resources do not need to reach electricity-generation temperatures to make a useful contribution to energy supply. Lower-temperature resources can serve buildings and heat networks when resource conditions, infrastructure and demand are well matched.

S-GeoHeat presented geological modelling and an operating pilot heating installation in Havza, Türkiye. The project examines how local geothermal resources can supply low-temperature district heating, with industrial excess heat providing additional support where needed.

For municipalities and national authorities, this work offers practical experience of assessing a resource and connecting it to local demand. It also demonstrates why geological investigation and heat-network planning need to progress together.

Connecting geothermal energy, storage and buildings

Several Joint Call projects examined how underground resources can become part of reliable heating and cooling systems.

Galleries to Calories (G2C) shared drilling and modelling results on using flooded mine workings in Scotland for thermal storage. The approach explores how excess heat from data centres could be stored underground and recovered for district heating.

THE CHANGE presented progress on modelling tools for fifth-generation heating and cooling networks, which operate close to ground temperature and use heat pumps at the building level. Faster assessment can help planners compare designs and understand how buildings, networks and ground heat exchangers interact.

GOES demonstrated an approach to integrating aquifer thermal storage into wider energy systems. Its analysis highlighted the importance of matching infrastructure capacity to actual demand a significant consideration for public and private investment.

HECTAPUS reported monitoring findings from thermal storage installations. Differences between expected and measured performance showed why storage must be sized and operated according to local conditions and demand.

Learning from demonstration and operation

The programme also included MALEG, presenting field studies and the use of demonstrator data for geothermal operations, and RECOIN, sharing lessons on real-time control of borehole heat exchanger fields. DEEPLIGHT and DEPLOI contributed to the geothermal technology and drilling discussions.

These contributions connected resource development with the practical questions of operating, controlling and improving geothermal systems. They also underlined the value of sharing difficulties encountered during research and demonstration, alongside successful results.

Why joint calls matter for public authorities

Geothermal development depends on local geology, national regulations and investment conditions. Yet many technical and operational challenges are shared across countries.

Joint calls allow national funding organisations to support their own research and industry partners within a common international programme. Teams can combine expertise, compare methods and learn from demonstration sites beyond their national borders.

The value extends beyond individual projects. Results can help public authorities assess which approaches merit further testing, what evidence is still missing and where infrastructure or planning decisions may affect deployment. Experience from another country does not replace local assessment, but it can strengthen it.

The GEOTHERMICA Initiative’s role

For the GEOTHERMICA Initiative, connecting project findings with the work of national funding organisations is an important purpose of cooperation.

Knowledge-sharing activities help authorities follow the results of joint research, compare experience and identify common needs. They also bring research teams into direct discussion with the organisations responsible for funding priorities and national programmes.

The Delft workshop demonstrated the value of this continued exchange: public research funding produces evidence that can inform subsequent decisions on geothermal heating, storage and energy infrastructure.

The GEOTHERMICA Initiative thanks all project teams, participants, and organising partners for their contributions. Especially CETPartnership, ETIP Geothermal, and the Netherlands Enterprise Agency as a host.