From 6 to 11 June 2026, INTERSTORES participated in the World Geothermal Congress 2026, organised by the International Geothermal Association at the Calgary TELUS Convention Centre in Canada.
Bringing together approximately 1,200 participants from around the world, the Congress provided an important platform for researchers, industry representatives, public authorities and other geothermal-energy stakeholders to exchange knowledge and explore innovative solutions supporting the energy transition.
INTERSTORES research was presented through three scientific papers and oral presentations addressing different aspects of sTES:
Geothermal Trenches for Recycling Waste Heat from Closed Seasonal Thermal Energy Storage Facilities
Presented by Peter Bayer
Authors: Christoph Bott, David Hoffmann, Shariq Akbar, Simon Müller and Peter Bayer
Life Cycle Assessment of the Construction Phase of a Water-Gravel Thermal Energy Storage System with Reused Infrastructure
Presented by Jenny Weise and Peter Bayer
Authors: Jenny Weise, Christoph Bott, Kathrin Menberg and Peter Bayer
Probabilistic Simulation of High-Temperature Underground Thermal Energy Storage in Caverns
Presented by Dominik Müller and Peter Bayer
Authors: Dominik Müller, Christoph Bott and Peter Bayer.
The contributions highlighted research connected to several core INTERSTORES activities, including the modelling of renovated seasonal thermal energy storage systems and geothermal trenches, life-cycle assessment of storage infrastructure, and probabilistic modelling of high-temperature cavern thermal energy storage.
The presentations reached audiences of approximately 40–60 participants and received positive feedback. Participation in the Congress also helped increase the international visibility of INTERSTORES and supported knowledge exchange with researchers and professionals working on geothermal energy and underground thermal storage.
By presenting its work at one of the world’s leading geothermal events, INTERSTORES contributed to the wider discussion on how subsurface technologies, reused infrastructure and large-scale seasonal energy storage can support more flexible and low-carbon heating systems.
