GeoEnergy 2023

Presentations (restricted access)

Conference Program (open access)

The Role of Geothermal Energy in a Renewable Based Energy system!

was held on June 5-6 2023, in the lovely city of Bergen

Thank you all presenters and participants making the GeoEnergy 2023 conference a success. The heat market is enormous. At the same time, the electric energy from renewable sources are limited. As such, to decarbonize the heating and cooling needs other solutions are required - that can be harvested from the ground.

Today the ground source heat pump systems, for heating and cooling purposes are mature and ready for market - and being profitable for the user and highly valued for the society. There is an ongoing mature industry that roll out these solutions.

At the same time, research and development are needed to increase resource potential even further. With improved technologies we reach greater depths, with better understanding of surface needs we can build tailored systems that minimize the system cost, by deploying sensors and autonomous operations we can make better use of the existing systems.

As such, even though the solutions are ready - and significant savings for society can be achieved with todays solutions - we can still go further.

The 60 conference participants represented 39 different organizations, ranging from industrial suppliers of solutions, to service companies that are pivoting from oil and gas into the heating and cooling market, from academic institutions, to get the European perspective on the need for technologies that could close the gap between when energy is produced till when it is needed. We also learned about the innovative business models for how to develop and operate such solutions. In addition, we had representatives from the financial market, that are looking into how to mobilize large capital players into this segment.

In the end, we were very pleased to warmly welcome the state secretary, Andreas Bjelland Eriksen from the Oil and Energy Department, that presented the governmental perspective on the current day situation, and the need for roll-out of geothermal solutions going forward.

Thank you all for creating value for each other!

Geothermal energy can play an important role in our energy system. Three possibilities include:

• Heat extracted from hot sources with heat used either directly or to produce electricity.
• Heat extracted from warm sources integrated with heat pumps for heating and cooling purposes thereby reducing electricity consumption.
• Geothermal solutions for heat energy storage filling the gap between when energy is produced to when needed.

The program comprises four sessions with a wide range of experts sharing knowledge, experience, and perspectives, and panel discussions and great networking opportunities.

Day 1 - Session 1 – Geothermal energy use and energy system integration

Utilizing the energy system approach to match surface energy needs with local geological possibilities and technological solutions to provide energy services at low costs.

Day 1 - Session 2 - Drilling and well operations for geothermal use

Recent technological advances to meet geothermal energy extraction challenges. Drilling is the key cost element hindering large scale utilization.

Day 2 - Session 3 - Politics, pricing mechanisms and regulatory framework

How are mature and ready-for-market geothermal solutions deployed in the Nordic countries? What political framework and pricing mechanisms can be implemented to nurture further growth?

Day 2 - Session 4 - Subsurface exploration, stimulation and optimal operation

Developments in these areas are crucial for assessing potential sites, planning operations and for reducing the overall cost of geothermal projects.

Photos from the two days - the most important conversations occured during the coffee breaks :)

GEAN partners

Illustration: Colourbox.com