Research and Transfer
The Ostfalia University will be carrying out research over the next three years – in conjunction with the Clausthal University of Technology, TU Braunschweig and cooperation partners Harzwasserwerke and HarzEnergie – on the future requirements for the Harz dams, in the face of climate change. At the kick-off event on 28th August, held at the EnergieCampus of the Clausthal University of Technology in Goslar, the Lower Saxony Secretary of State from the Ministry for Science and Culture, Dr. Sabine Johannsen, learnt more about the research projects. Funding comes in the shape of €1.6mil. from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), and from the federal state coffers.
The Institut für nachhaltige Bewässerung und Wasserwirtschaft [Institute for Sustainable Irrigation and Water Management], located in Ostfalia's rural zone at the Suderburg Campus, is part of the research network working on the Harz Mountains’ – which form an effective water reservoir – adaptation to climate change. The subproject entitled “EWAZ – Above-ground storage, flood protection and drinking water supply” encompasses some extremely important parts of the project, with a particular focus on flood protection and low water delivery, and on the supply of drinking water.
An investigation of the project area with a view to additional above-ground storage space will provide information as to the possible options for saving water, so that it can be held back in the event of potential flooding, or used to generate energy, to provide drinking water, or for times of low-water delivery. The suitable sites will be identified and investigated, taking into account the different objectives, and the required volumes determined. Ensuring the supply of drinking water is a particular focus of the subproject. Due to climate change, and also due to the increasing concentrations of various substances found in other regions, particularly in the groundwater, there is a growing demand for water from the Harz Mountains. Additional storage space is required to meet this demand.
Firstly, the existing water storage facilities in the Harz Mountains are operated with a view to the supply of drinking water and flood protection. Hydropower plays a subordinate role in this respect. As a result, the Ostfalia University institute is in particular looking for synergies involving energy storage, which are becoming increasingly relevant as Germany moves away from fossil fuels. It will be examined as to how future demand and future utilisation of existing facilities will change; how water delivery can be optimised by adjusting operating strategies; and how additional storage facilities impact on the quality and quantity of stored water.
