Even if the circumstances are dramatic to cruel - the current developments around Ukraine and Russia force technological developments, as so often in warlike conflicts in the past. We are not talking about weapons here, but about the impact on our energy needs and how we can become less dependent on third parties in the future. For example, the use of geothermal energy, especially near-surface geothermal energy, has been gaining momentum already in the recent past, especially as part of the discussion on sustainable, more climate-friendly energy systems to meet the heating and cooling needs of buildings or entire neighborhoods. The NanoGeoTherm network, part of the Nanotechnology Cluster of the Bavarian Nanoinitiative, has also taken up this topic and is now presenting how it intends to proceed at HANNOVER MESSE 2022.

To begin with, the NanoGeoTherm network intends to focus on three aspects: First, increasing the thermal and electrical conductivity of plastic components; second, optimizing filler materials for better conductivity and thermal coupling between the tube and filler material; and third, improving heat transfer fluids. As the name of the network suggests, nanomaterials are expected to play a major role in this. According to NanoGeoTherm, the continuous development as well as the mass production of nanomaterials, taking into account the knowledge gained in the fields of analytics as well as occupational and environmental safety, make this class of materials a promising candidate for increasing the overall efficiency of geothermal systems.

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