Heat supply from bodies of water
Handover of the funding decision for the AQVA-HEAT II investment measure by the Saxon Ministry for Regional Development
On April 14, 2023 , Minister of State Schmidt from the Saxon Ministry of Regional Development formally presented the grant award notification for the AQVA-HEAT II investment project to the Institute for Process Engineering, Process Automation, and Measurement Technology (IPM) at Zittau-Görlitz University of Applied Sciences in Weißwasser.
In addition to representatives from the ministries involved in the application phase—the Saxon State Ministry for Energy, Climate Protection, Environment, and Agriculture (SMEKUL), the Saxon Ministry of Regional Development (SMR), and the Saxon Reconstruction Bank (SAB), representatives from the participating municipal utilities in Weißwasser and Zittau, as well as the project partners from the research consortium, were in attendance.
The funding provided under the Coal Region Investment Act, totaling approximately €3.1 million, will be used to continue the AQVA-HEAT project, which aims to conduct year-round testing of heat generation based on water heat for decentralized and centralized heat supply systems. The installation and demonstration of the entire system are to take place at the Weißwasser site at the Ziegelteich and at the Zittau site on the Mandau River as part of the funded project. The funding provided will be used for the detailed planning and installation of the major components (vacuum liquid ice generator, heat pump), the necessary peripheral equipment for water extraction and its return to the water bodies, the integration of the heating system, and the control and regulation concept for the overall system. The goal is to transition the entire system into seasonal test operation and, in doing so, to provide fundamental answers to the technological and aquatic-ecological questions associated with the operation of the entire system.
During the handover, the Minister of State emphasized the particular importance of researching innovative systems for sustainable heat supply for both decentralized and centralized supply structures, as this is the only way to successfully implement the heating transition toward a climate- and resource-friendly heat supply while taking technological, ecological, and societal aspects into account.
I was particularly pleased that Mr. StM Thomas Schmidt personally delivered the funding notification and thus showed his appreciation for the project and the entire team behind it.
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Following the ceremonial presentation of the grant award notification to our Chancellor, Ms. Hollstein; the Rector, Professor Alexander Kratzsch; and the Managing Director of Stadtwerke Weißwasser GmbH, Ms. Katrin Bartsch, Thomas Gubsch from IPM presented the overall AQVA-HEAT concept, its key objectives, and the project timeline. Following this, the next steps and milestones of the investment project were coordinated within the project consortium.
In closing, Minister of State Thomas Schmidt expressed his gratitude for the presentation of the project details, expressed his enthusiasm for the scope of the planned project, and was convinced that the funding is being put to good use.
Our express thanks go to the project partners and supporters in the project application for the AQVA-HEAT II investment measure in the Saxon State Ministry for Energy, Climate Protection, Environment and Agriculture, the Saxon State Ministry for Regional Development, the Saxon Development Bank, the members of the Saxon State Parliament, the participating municipal utilities in Weißwasser and Zittau and our partners in the project.
Upper floor
