Junior research group geothermal energy

On August 1, 2017, a new early-career research group began its work at Faculty W of the Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences. The goal of the project group is to investigate various operating concepts for heating and cooling buildings with geothermal heat pumps. The focus is on thermal storage processes in the vicinity of geothermal probes.

The staff members, who come from various departments, form an interdisciplinary research team to incorporate diverse perspectives into the development of practical operating concepts. For the experimental investigations, the faculty’s energy laboratory features a state-of-the-art geothermal probe test rig capable of measuring both the heating and cooling operations of a geothermal probe system. A dedicated server has been put into operation to simulate heat transfer in the geological profile as well as building systems. This enables complex model calculations to be performed within a reasonable timeframe. A comprehensive simulation of the supply system is necessary, particularly with regard to the use of the ground as a heat or cold storage medium.

The long-term goal of the research project is to contribute to the expansion of renewable energy in building energy supply.

The early-career research group is supervised by Prof. Krimmling, Prof. Schütte, and Prof. Meinert.