The German Geothermal Congress

Programme published: Germany's largest geothermal energy congress leads the way for heat transition

Picture: Denis Konovalov

The German Geothermal Energy Association (BVG) invites you to the Haus der Technik in Essen from 17 to 19 October 2023 and is pleased to announce another expanded, practice-oriented programme. More than 200 lectures and posters await the attendees of the leading national geothermal event. In particular, the congress will offer municipal utilities practical knowledge and contacts with a workshop specialising in the municipal heat turnaround and an information booth of the authorities in North Rhine-Westphalia.

After a very successful European Geothermal Congress 2022 in Berlin and two Digital Geothermal Congresses, this year's annual congress will again take place on site as usual. This year, the Haus der Technik in Essen will once again facilitate knowledge exchange and networking for the German and international geothermal sector.
Public utilities and municipal energy suppliers can register for a workshop on municipal heat planning with geothermal energy on Thursday, the workshop day of the congress.In addition to basic presentations on how to use shallow, medium-depth or deep geothermal energy in the municipal heating mix, there will also be an opportunity to take advantage of advice at the joint stand of the North Rhine-Westphalian specialist authorities Geological Survey, the State Office for Nature, the Environment and Consumer Protection and the Arnsberg District Government, as well as NRW.Energy4Climate and the North Rhine-Westphalian Ministry of Economics and Climate Protection, throughout the congress, and to explore regional geothermal potential and funding opportunities directly.

Learning from each other and working together will also be the focus of the diverse sessions on near-surface, medium-depth and deep geothermal energy, which will be offered in four parallel lecture strands on Tuesday and Wednesday. In addition to German-language sessions, there will also be English-language sessions to cater for the increasingly international audience.

This year's focus is on the Nordic partner countries Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden, which will present their geological characteristics and their solutions for the future energy market. Whether long-standing experience with high-temperature geothermal energy from Iceland, novel district heating concepts from Denmark or the widespread use of near-surface geothermal energy as in Sweden, the Nordic countries are taking a very natural approach to geothermal energy use.

High-calibre greetings will be given on Wednesday by, among others, Mona Neubaur, Minister for Economic Affairs, Industry, Climate Protection and Energy and Deputy Minister President of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, and the Icelandic Ambassador María Erla Marelsdóttir.Afterwards, several prizes of the Bundesverband Geothermie e.V. will be awarded: The Patricius Medal for special merits in geothermal energy, the prize for the best or young scientist, and the "Science Bar" poster competition, which awards prizes for the best bachelor's, master's or doctoral thesis.

The social programme offers many opportunities for networking: An Icebreaker evening on Tuesday as an informal standing reception, a joint social evening on Wednesday as well as an exhibition of various companies and scientific institutes, furthermore also excursions to the Fraunhofer IEG in Bochum and to the geothermal company DMT Group in Essen.
Participants from Germany, Austria and Switzerland will be represented as well as European guests. From interested students to large companies and municipal utilities as well as renowned institutes, the congress audience represents a cross-section of the people who will shape geothermal energy into a real energy power in the future.


Registration for the Geothermal Congress open

Registration for the DGK opened today. The industry meeting with more than 500 participants from Germany as well as international guests is unique in the German-speaking region.
On two congress days and one workshop day, a wide range of topics from industry and research, near-surface, medium and deep geothermal energy will be covered. Several parallel sessions will cover a broad spectrum of topics. This year, the Nordic countries are the partner region. The five countries Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden will present their solutions for future energy supply issues and the decarbonisation of energy grids.
Would you like to be there? You can register here.


Call for Papers ends

The German Geothermal Association would like to thank for all handed in papers. Speakers will be informed around end of August, whether the submitted abstract has been accepted by the Scientific Committee.


Nordic countries to be partner region of the Geothermal Congress 2023

Berlin, 5th of July 2023 ­–This year, the annual Geothermal Congress (DGK) puts the focus on Nordic countries. Five states (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden) will be presenting their solutions for future energy supply issues and decarbonizing the grid. The DGK is a unique industry highlight in Germany. From Oct. 17th to 19th, the German Geothermal Energy Association (BVG) will be hosting the congress in the Haus der Technik in Essen.

On recent occasion, the German-Icelandic “Clean Energy Summit“ underscored the significance of pioneering nations such as Iceland in the field of geothermal energy as well as the importance of expanding geothermal energy use in Germany. Renowned experts from both countries discussed issues ranging from financing geothermal projects to research, mapping and development of low-temperature areas in Germany in four panels. “Our case shows that political support and courage pay off. Investing in geothermal for us, too, involved investing capital initially. In Iceland, the early days of the transition were linked to a degree of uncertainty. But as a result, we have gained a measure of energy security that brings prosperity to our society. We have been able to strengthen our economy and generate a breeding ground for innovation“, says the Ambassador to Iceland, María Erla Marelsdóttir.

Experts from Nordic countries will have the opportunity to present abstracts from a range of topics at the DGK, covering deep, mid-depth and shallow geothermal. Best-practice examples covering topics such as financing, exploration and data management are also highly encouraged. Visitors to the DGK can look forward to lots of input from both national and international experts.

“The issues of the heat transition we are currently facing in Germany have already been solved in many Nordic countries. Thus, making them the partner region of this year’s DGK is a logical choice and will greatly benefit the congress“, says Helge-Uve Braun, President of the German Geothermal Association.

In addition to commercial projects, ongoing research projects can also be considered as well as case studies and lessons learned. Project developers as well as consortia of ongoing research projects are invited to submit their papers. Topics such as education, training, and ideas for solving the shortage of skilled workers are also very sought-after. Papers can be submitted here until July 15.

In addition to a varied and interesting congress program with multiple events and excursions, there will also be an evening occasion for networking. More than 500 participants from Germany as well as international guests are expected from October 17-19. Several parallel sessions will cover a wide range of topics.


Save the Date: DGK 2023 in Essen

After the successful European Geothermal Congress in cooperation with the European Geothermal Council (EGEC) in Berlin, the German Geothermal Association (BVG) is already planning the next German Geothermal Congress in Essen. It will take place from October 17-19, 2023 in Essen at the Haus der Technik. Up-to-date information is available via our Geothermal Congress Newsletter.

Also in 2023 there will be a thematic diversity: In addition to the overarching topics of sector coupling, legal framework conditions for the heat transition, heat pumps, and heat grids and storage, there will also be specific focal points for deep and near-surface geothermal energy respectively. For deep geothermal energy, the focus will be on exploration, material use, medium-depth geothermal energy, and the complex of reservoir development and management. In the area of near-surface geothermal energy, concepts for cost reduction and measures to increase efficiency will be covered, as will cold local heating networks and neighborhood concepts, as well as quality assurance and groundwater protection. In addition, other scientific topics on geothermal energy can be submitted.

With a call for papers, the German Geothermal Association will call from spring 2023 on interested parties to present their current scientific findings at the DGK. Young scientists* are also invited to participate in the "Science Bar". The poster competition offers the opportunity to present bachelor's, master's or doctoral theses on the topic of geothermal energy to a broad professional audience. The best presentation will be awarded with the Young Scientist Award of the German Geothermal Energy Association (Bundesverband Geothermie e.V.).

 

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