Workshops of the User4GeoEnergy project "Improving the efficiency of geothermal energy utilisation by adjusting the user characteristics"
On December 8th 2022, in Kraków, Poland, workshops organized as part of the project "Improving the energy efficiency of geothermal energy utilisation by adjusting the user characteristics" (User4GeoEnergy) were held. The project is financed by the EEA and Norway Grants Fund for Regional Cooperation and is implemented by an international consortium of specialists from Iceland, Norway, Hungary, Slovakia and Poland. The target group of the workshops was the scientific community, doctoral students, operators of district heating systems, employees of local government units, as well as enterprises and companies from the energy sector - in particularly geothermal and district heating.
The workshops aimed to present the results of the work carried out within the project, as well as plans and tasks that are still ahead of the consortium implementing the project. The participants were presented with the project’s background, paying attention to the specificity of production and use of geothermal energy and the importance of cooperation between the geothermal source and the heating network. Particular attention was paid to the impact of technical requirements set by the recipient on the efficiency of geothermal energy use. Effective and economical energy management is essential nowadays when energy security is subject to unfavourable political and market trends. User4GeoEnergy experts discussed with the participants the role of geothermal energy as a reliable component of the district heating source and the importance of the requirements set by the recipient on the final price of heat. Based on the initial results of the project, it was demonstrated through various scenarios, supported by calculations and numerous graphs, that there is a need to promote actions aimed at correcting the energy performance of users. Ways for financing necessary solutions were part of the discussion. Attention was also drawn to specific legal barriers that should have been overcome to stimulate the development of geothermal district heating in Poland.

Photos from the workshops can be viewed here.

Presentations can be found here.