PUSH-IT

PUSH-IT: Piloting underground storage of heat in geothermal reservoirs

PUSH-IT project concept

PUSH-IT project concept
PUSH-IT project concept

PUSH-IT aims to address the seasonal mismatch between heat demand and heat generation from sustainable sources through underground heat storage. This EU-funded project (Horizon Europe Grant agreement, ID: 101096566 ) seeks to demonstrate the large-scale application of high-temperature heat storage in geothermal reservoirs, employing three different technologies across six sites. The project's primary objectives include the development and testing of mine, borehole, and aquifer thermal energy storage technologies for heat storage and recovery. Additionally, PUSH-IT emphasizes the importance of joint decision-making among citizens, regulators, and operators to enhance social acceptance. The project also focuses on developing enabling technologies to adapt thermal energy storage to various geological conditions and creating an open-source tool to optimize the levelized cost of energy and carbon emission reduction through co-simulation and machine learning.

Darmstadt BTES

Connect three medium deep boreholes to the heating network of TU Darmstadt
Connect three medium deep boreholes to the heating network of TU Darmstadt

In Darmstadt, the PUSH-IT project is centered around the demonstration site for Borehole Thermal Energy Storage (BTES) at the Lichtwiese Campus of the Technical University of Darmstadt. This site features the world's first medium-deep BTES system, comprising three 750 m deep geothermal borehole heat exchangers integrated into the campus's surface district heating grid. The project aims to implement, develop, and test the BTES's capability to store and recover heat in a crystalline medium-deep environment, demonstrating the system's feasibility. Several integration scenarios are being explored, including connecting the boreholes to new buildings' heating grids and extending the BTES field to larger sub-networks, thereby optimizing its contribution to the campus's heating needs.

Work packages

Overview of PUSH-IT working structure
Overview of PUSH-IT working structure

Five different work packages

  • WP1 – Demonstration and follower sites
  • WP2 – Public engagement, social engagement
  • WP3 – Enabling technologies
  • WP4 – Dissemination, exploitation and communication
  • WP5 – Project coordination

Contact persons

  Name Contact
Picture: Hung Pham
Dr.-Ing. Hung Pham
+49 6151 16-22294
B2|02 134
Matthias Krusemark M. Sc.
+49 6151 16-21806
L6|01 13
Max Ohagen M. Sc.
+49 6151 16-25742
B2|02 129
Picture: Riachrd van Deursen
Markus Schedel M. Sc.
+49 6151 16-23138
B2|02 129
Picture: Lukas Seib
Lukas Seib M. Sc.
+49 6151 16-25675
L6|01 13
M.Sc. Feiyu Wang
+49 6151 16-20634
B2|01 108

Further Information

  • Funding period: From 01.01.2023 to 31.12.2026
  • Grant Authorities: EU
  • Funding Agreement: 101096566

Project partners

List of project partners
List of project partners

General Assembly in Darmstadt – September 2024