The main goal of CROWDTHERMAL is to empower European citizens to directly participate in the development of geothermal projects with the help of alternative financing schemes, like crowdfunding, and social engagement tools. Three case studies in Europe will validate the results of the project.
The Hungarian case study is the district heating system of Szeged. This municipality has 170,000 inhabitants, and it is located on a sedimentary basin with great geothermal potential. The project partner SZETÁV has 23 heating circuits and supplies heat and domestic hot water to 27,000 apartments and 500 public buildings. The company has outlined a roadmap for the introduction of geothermal into most of the company’s 23 circuits. This project is still under development, and it will continue for two years more. For now, six wells have been completed, and 21 more will be developed.
At the end of June, locals were invited to visit the “Rókus” area in which a well is under construction for the development of geothermal. The public event allowed participants to learn more about the use of geothermal for their district heating system and its functioning.
This was not the only activity organised for stakeholders in summer. An open-air cinema has been set up to host cinema nights. A television screen has been painted on the façade of the largest heating centre in the “Rókus” area, and films are being screened every Saturday night during summer. The heating centre and the drilling site are in a housing estate. Therefore locals are clients and, the target group of CROWDTHERMAL.
The first cinema night was a success, hundreds of people attended, and the regional media covered the event.
The second event of this series took place on 18 July. This time the screening attracted a younger audience, there were more than 500 participants. For this occasion, the CROWDTHERMAL promotional animated video was shown before the movie. This allowed attendees to know more about the project and the vital role of the Szeged district heating for its success. Following this, participants could watch the sci-fi movie ‘Ready Player One’. Five more cinema nights will be organised during the coming weeks.
These summer activities in the Szeged district heating installations have been very well received. They constitute an opportunity for clients as well as stakeholders to know more about geothermal district heating and the CROWDTHERMAL project.
