What happens when geothermal innovation is put to the test in real operating conditions?
With Inside GEOFLEXheat – Interview Series, we are taking you behind the scenes of the project to explore the technologies, demonstration activities and expertise driving its work towards more efficient and reliable geothermal energy.
The first episode takes us to Italy, where Matteo Quaia, General Manager of Rete Geotermica, explains the role of the Italian demonstration site and the challenges that geothermal operations can face — particularly scaling.
Scaling occurs when minerals dissolved in geothermal brine precipitate and accumulate on equipment and components. At the Italian site, the focus is on silica scaling, with GEOFLEXheat testing solutions to better understand, monitor and manage this phenomenon.
From scaling challenges to real-world testing
During the upcoming operations, the team will monitor key parameters including pressure, temperature and flow, complemented by chemical analysis of geothermal brine samples. These data will help assess indicators such as pressure-drop trends, scaling events, plant availability and silica removal.
The demonstration will also provide an opportunity to test the solutions under the variable conditions encountered in real geothermal operations, including changes in brine temperature, pressure and chemical composition.
For Matteo, this type of field validation is essential to understand how the technologies perform beyond controlled testing environments and to identify the operational challenges that need to be addressed for wider deployment.
From Italy to wider deployment
The experience gained at the Italian demonstration site will contribute to assessing the technical and practical viabilityof the solutions developed by GEOFLEXheat. Lessons from the demonstration could also support the replication of these approaches in other geothermal regions, helping to strengthen the case for greater geothermal deployment.
Watch the first Inside GEOFLEXheat interview with Matteo Quaia and discover what is happening behind the scenes at the Italian demonstration site.