Heating with ice: The state of Saxony is expanding the testing of Aqua Heat technology.

The University of Zittau/Görlitz receives €3.7 million for a new development phase

Zittau/Dresden24 October 2024. As the Saxons consider the possibility of heating entire residential areas and businesses in Lusatia using open glacial water, the Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences is expanding a corresponding hydrothermal test facility and wants to use it under the code name “Aqva Heat III Test it in operation Long-term Energy Minister Wolfram Günther (Greens) has promised the research team €3.7 million to finance this project Message from the Ministry of Energy, Climate Protection, Environment and Agriculture of Saxony (Smekol) outside.

The Energy Minister sees great potential for energy transition in the open pit mining lakes in Lusatia

The minister praised that “the project conducts application-oriented research for the energy transition.” “The potential is huge, especially for hydrothermal energy. After all, we have large areas of water that existed in former open pit brown coal mines. Against the backdrop of the climate crisis and because we are on the way to climate neutrality, we need these technologies to provide a sustainable heat supply.

It was developed at the Institute of Refrigeration ILK Dresden

The technology behind this was developed by the Institute of Air and Refrigeration Technology (ILK) in Dresden. Dresden Zuse researchers then developed Aqua Heat in collaboration with the Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences and the Fraunhofer Institute for Energy and Geothermal Infrastructures (IEG) in Zittau. The resulting hydrothermal systems collect water from a river or lake and bring it close to you under negative pressure Triple point – And then the freezing point – and then this pumpable liquid ice is transferred to a heat pump. This processes the thermal energy contained in the water for heating or cooling units.

Researcher: We are getting closer to the dream of a heat source that can be used all year round

They had this technology college And formerly ILK in Zittau Power Plant Laboratory Tested on a pilot scale. “The third phase of the project that is now being funded includes operation, long-term testing and scientific support of the research facilities,” says the Ministry of the Environment. This means that the state of Saxony is “one step closer to the dream of developing a heat source that has not yet received much attention, but which is environmentally friendly and usable all year round,” says university researcher Thomas Goebsch. He and his colleagues want to test the new technology in practice at two sites in the new development phase by February 2027.

At the same time, ILK is testing and installing “Aqva Heat” systems in its laboratories in Dresden, in open pit mining lakes in Lausitz, at technology companies such as “Sachsenkälte”, in a new residential area in Bremen and in other areas. Locations. Refrigeration engineers want to gain experience on how to use their technology and what it can be used for in practice.

Author: Heiko Wickbrodt

Sources: Smekul, ILK, Oiger Archive, Wikipedia, HSZG

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