First Working Group meeting held at the Faculty of Engineering in Kragujevac

Faculty of Engineering Kragujevac (Serbia) Photo

As part of the Danube GeoHeCo project, the Faculty of Engineering in Kragujevac - University of Kragujevac, Regional Economic Development Agency for Šumadija and Pomoravlje, and the Regional Development Agency Backa, as project partners, held the first working group meeting in shallow geothermal energy with interested participants.

The meeting, held on December 10, 2024, at the Faculty of Engineering in Kragujevac - University of Kragujevac, brought together key stakeholders from the public, private, and civil sectors. The main goal of the meeting was to establish the working group as a future platform that will connect key stakeholders in Serbia, promote the use of shallow geothermal energy, and support the development of solutions based on this energy. For participants who could not attend in person, virtual attendance was enabled via the ZOOM platform.

During the meeting, the goals and activities of the project were presented, as well as the achieved results, tools, and principles that will be used during the group's future activities.

The working group plays a crucial role in engaging external stakeholders and providing support to partners in promoting the application of geothermal heat pumps, with the primary goal of strengthening capacities and facilitating the exchange of knowledge.

Faculty of Engineering Kragujevac (Serbia) Photo

This contributes to increasing expertise and the number of specialists needed for the sustainable transformation of the energy sector, with a particular focus on the use of geothermal energy.

Participants were introduced to key project elements, analyses, and studies, including the "Criteria Catalog for optimization of shallow geothermal hybrid systems," as well as IT tools that will be used and tested through pilot projects at partner locations in the EU.

The meeting also included a discussion of existing legislative frameworks and policies in Serbia related to the exploitation of shallow geothermal energy. A joint conclusion was made that the working group will continue to focus on identifying opportunities and challenges in the application of shallow geothermal potentials, as well as proposing incentive measures that could positively impact the use of this energy.

The next working group meeting will be organized in the first quarter of 2025, where efforts will be made to jointly define proposals and initiatives to improve the use of shallow geothermal energy, with a particular emphasis on local specificities and priorities.