UDE starts three research projects on the transition of district heating
The Summer provides Heat for the Winter
- von Jennifer Meina
- 19.06.2026
The University of Duisburg-Essen (UDE) is among the leading players in research on the transition of district heating. It is the only German university represented with three projects in the new funding program URBAN ARENA Seasonal Heat Storage. Through the projects HANSE, LEEZE and BISAM, researchers at the Chair of Energy Technology are investigating how surplus heat generated from renewable energy sources can be stored for months and fed into district heating systems. The focus of the research is on one of the key challenges regarding the energy transition: How can cities be supplied with heat in a way that is both climate-neutral and economically viable?
In summer, heat from sustainable energy sources is often available in abundance, while in winter it is urgently needed. Seasonal thermal energy storage systems are designed to bridge this gap by storing surplus energy for several months and making it available again when the heat demand rises. This is precisely where the three projects funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy and led by the University of Duisburg-Essen (UDE) come into play.
“Seasonal thermal energy storage has the potential to be a key part in the heat transition in urban areas. With our projects, we are laying the scientific foundations that will enable municipalities, energy utilities and suppliers to harness these opportunities safely and cost-effectively in the future,” says project leader Christian Thommessen from the Chair of Energy Technology. “Together with our project partners, we aim to demonstrate how seasonal thermal energy storage can help making district heating systems both climate-friendly and economically viable for the future. The insights gained are intended to serve as a valuable reference for the entire district heating industry when developing own projects.”
HANSE: Pit Thermal Energy Storage for Lübeck
In the HANSE* project, researchers from the University of Duisburg-Essen (UDE), working together with Lübeck’s municipal utility company (Stadtwerke Lübeck) and engineering consultancy Ramboll, are assessing the feasibility of a seasonal pit thermal energy storage facility within the Lübeck metropolitan area. The facility is intended to shift surplus heat generated in summer from solar thermal energy as well as large-scale heat pumps that use wastewater and river water to the winter months.
To this end, the consortium is evaluating potential sites from geotechnical, hydrological and planning-permission perspectives. In addition, the researchers are simulating the long-term economic operation of the storage system and its interaction with the various heat sources several years.
LEEZE: Münster as a Living Laboratory for Urban Pit Thermal Energy Storage
What has long been regarded as a major obstacle may soon be overcome: In the LEEZE* project, UDE researchers are working with Stadtwerke Münster and engineering consultancy Ramboll to investigate how seasonal thermal energy storage systems can be implemented in urban areas with high groundwater levels.
Through site assessments and extensive district heating system simulations, the consortium is developing, among other outcomes, a catalogue of criteria for planning seasonal pit thermal energy storage facilities in densely populated metropolitan areas.
BISAM: From Coal-Washing Plant to Thermal Energy Storage Facility in Hückelhoven
From industrial heritage site to thermal energy storage facility: In the BISAM* project, a consortium comprising UDE, WEP Wärme-, Energie- und Prozesstechnik, and civil engineering company W+G is investigating whether a former coal washery in the Ratheim district of Hückelhoven can be converted into a large-scale seasonal thermal energy storage.
The structure, which measures around 100 metres in diameter, is located close to the existing district heating system and could become one of the first existing industrial structures in Germany to be repurposed for storing heat generated from sustainable energy sources.
As part of the project, the researchers are assessing the technical feasibility of converting the structure into a thermal energy storage facility, exploring how it could be integrated into the district heating system, and evaluating the project's economic and environmental impacts. If successful, BISAM could become a pioneering model for the heat transition in former mining and industrial regions.
*HANSE: Hydraulic and techno-economic analyses for connected district heating systems with seasonal pit thermal energy storage on the example of the city of Lübeck
LEEZE: Long-term energy system analysis for pit thermal energy storage in urban district heating systems on the example of the city of Münster
BISAM: Investigation and evaluation of a fundamental conversion of former coal mine industrial complexes for seasonal heat storage, using the example of a former coal washery in Hückelhoven
Pictured: Staff from the Chair of Energy Technology together with their project partners presenting posters on the projects at the URBAN ARENA project meeting in Berlin in early June. From left: Tade Marten Jensen (Stadtwerke Lübeck), Joana Verheyen (Chair of Energy Technology), Tobias Kox (WEP Hückelhoven), Christian Thommessen (Chair of Energy Technology), and Louis Heckenkamp (Stadtwerke Münster).
Further Informations:
Mehr Informationen:
www.uni-due.de/energietechnik/
Christian Thommessen, Lehrstuhl Energietechnik, Fakultät für Ingenieurwissenschaften, Tel.: 0203/ 379 2745, christian.thommessen@uni-due.de
Joana Verheyen, Lehrstuhl Energietechnik, Fakultät für Ingenieurwissenschaften, Tel.: 0203/ 379 1256, joana.verheyen@uni-due.de