Technovative Solutions Ltd joined the first review meeting of the nGEL project in Berlin, Germany, on November 27-28. As Fraunhofer, the project coordinator, hosted the meeting, the consortium members discussed the progress achieved during the first phase of the project. Dr Mahfuza Ahmed, Collaborative Research Leader of TVS, represented us at the event. We recently took the opportunity to talk with her about the highlights and key takeaways from the review meeting.
Could you please provide a brief summary of the meeting?
The first Review Meeting of the nGEL project was held on 27–28 November 2025 in Berlin, Germany, hosted by Fraunhofer, Coordinator of the nGEL project. Dr Shahin Jamali, the project coordinator, Fraunhofer, chaired the two-day meeting. All consortium partners attended this meeting. From Technovative Solutions Ltd., Dr Mahfuza Ahmed, Collaborative Research Leader, participated in this meeting to lead the TVS team.
The first day focused on the General Assembly, during which each Work Package (WP) leader presented progress updates, technical achievements, challenges encountered, opportunities and the upcoming work activities. The consortium also held a dedicated discussion session to refine and align the demonstration strategy for nGEL innovations—specifically the flexible power, heating, and cooling concept to be showcased/demonstrated through the RePG plant in integration with the Kizildere-2 geothermal power plant. Cross-WP technical coordination also took place, ensuring that work package interdependencies were clearly addressed.
On the second day, presentations were delivered by the representatives of each consortium partner organisation in the presence of the European Commission’s assigned Project Officer (PO). The consortium members reported progress for the first reporting period, responded to technical questions from the PO, and clarified future implementation plans. The PO provided constructive feedback, commending the consortium for the substantial progress made during the initial phase and encouraging continued collaboration and alignment across WPs as the project enters its next phase. The meeting concluded with closing remarks and acknowledgements from the coordinator, Dr. Shahin Jamali.
This review meeting successfully reaffirmed the project’s direction, strengthened cross-partner collaborations, and set a clear roadmap for the upcoming tasks, including the demonstration and development activities.
What were the key topics presented by you (TVS)?
TVS, as the lead for Sustainability Analysis and Social Awareness campaigns in the project, presented comprehensive updates on the progress of several key tasks within the work package. The presentation covered the development of the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) model that will assess the environmental impact of the nGEL-integrated Geothermal ORC plant, as well as advances in the thermo-economic optimisation model aimed at identifying optimal system configurations—such as maximum thermal efficiency, minimum Levelised Cost of Energy (LCOE), and minimum heat-transfer area of the heat exchangers and other equipment. TVS also shared progress on the development of the nGEL Digital Twin platform and reported on Cost Modelling for Control and Energy Management Systems- EMS. The presentation outlined the main challenges, opportunities, and partner roles within the task. TVS additionally introduced upcoming activities, including the development of a parametric cost model for controller components (EMS, STORM controller, instrumentation, control valves, etc.), further work on the Digital Twin architecture, and continued work on thermo-economic optimisation.
Efforts are underway to implement the dissemination and communication plan for the nGEL project to effectively share outcomes and engage stakeholders. Additionally, dissemination events are being organised to promote the project’s innovations and foster collaboration with wider audiences. The updates from TVS on this task were presented.
The project website was developed by TVS, and social media accounts on multiple platforms, including LinkedIn, YouTube, X, and Facebook, are being regularly updated. We arranged a webinar to disseminate the project objectives and methodology. In collaboration with the REGEN-BY-2 project, we also conducted an online workshop on how their solutions are contributing to the decarbonisation of Europe.
What were the key takeaways for TVS from the meeting? Were any important decisions taken?
The meeting offered several key takeaways for TVS and proved highly valuable, particularly with the active involvement of the European Commission’s Project Officer. As the lead for the Digital Twin development, a core component that will virtually replicate the nGEL-integrated geothermal ORC plan, TVS gained a reinforced understanding of the critical need for close coordination across multiple work packages. Discussions highlighted strong interdependencies between the Digital Twin, the physical plant development, the control and EMS strategies and predictive models, and the Cold Thermal Energy Storage (CTES) design.
One of the most important outcomes for TVS was the multi-WP strategic discussion held at the end of the first day. This session clarified the collective vision for implementing the nGEL plant innovations and confirmed that ongoing alignment among WP2 (Development of Cold Thermal Energy Storage), WP3 (Control Strategy and System for Flexible ORC), and WP4 (Demonstration and Validation) will be essential for successful integration and demonstration. A key decision made during the meeting was the agreement between TVS and the WP3 (Control Strategy and System for Flexible ORC) leader, to establish recurring, iterative coordination meetings. These sessions will ensure that the Digital Twin evolves consistently with the nGEL control strategy and energy management system, and that the model is fully prepared for validation using real-time data once the plant begins operation.
Additionally, TVS engaged in detailed discussions with RePG—the partner responsible for developing the physical Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) system—to clarify plant data needs, equipment cost information, and digital model requirements. A follow-up exchange after the meeting helped confirm the availability and format of the data required for the upcoming phases of Digital Twin modelling.
For TVS, the key takeaways were the importance of tighter cross-WP synchronisation, the commitment to a structured collaboration framework with WP3 (Control Strategy and System for Flexible ORC) and WP4 (Demonstration and Validation) and confirmed partner readiness to support the data and modelling requirements essential to the Digital Twin’s successful development and deployment. TVS also discussed the progress in the communication and dissemination activities. The reviewers expressed their opinions and suggestions about the work.
What are the next steps of the Project and what role is TVS playing in it?
The next steps of the project focus on finalising the nGEL innovation demonstration strategy for flexible power, heating, and cooling through the RePG plant, which will be integrated with the KZD2 power plant. TVS will play a central role in these developments, particularly through its leadership in the Digital Twin and its contributions across several related work packages. TVS also coordinated closely with RePG on plant data and equipment cost requirements essential for modelling activities.
In the coming phase, work on the flexible ORC control strategy will include developing the controller, defining an action plan, formulating the mathematical control problem, and testing it within the Digital Twin environment. Preparations for establishing the data communication framework and a detailed controller development timeline will also continue. Additional project-wide next steps include completing internal reviews of electrical implementation documents, the control philosophy, and other technical materials, along with progressing safety assessments, site-constraint evaluations, and coordination between design and operations teams. Procurement will begin once all documents are approved and as progress in WP2 (Development of Cold Thermal Energy Storage) and WP3 (Control Strategy and System for Flexible ORC) advances.
On the modelling side, TVS will further refine and tune AI models predicting ORC power output, transfer these advancements to new datasets from RePG, and extend the work to small-scale ORC systems and additional datasets. TVS will also finalise the UI/UX design for the DSS frontend of the Digital Twin before moving to backend development, supported by continued coordination with WP3 (Control Strategy and System for Flexible ORC) leads. Cost modelling for the control and EMS components will progress through parametric modelling or cost-factor correlation approaches.
Furthermore, TVS will explore ANN- and PINN-based Digital Twin performance modules to improve model responsiveness and better meet Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). It will also continue its work on thermo-economic optimisation, LCA modelling, and the environmental impact assessment of the nGEL-integrated binary power plant.
How is TVS contributing to the nGEL project?
TVS is contributing to the nGEL project by leading the environmental and economic performance assessments of the nGEL-integrated geothermal ORC plant. This includes developing a thermo-economic optimisation model that identifies the optimal configuration of nGEL technologies in terms of both cost and system performance. The model is designed to enhance ORC efficiency during high ambient temperatures and optimise flexible power, heating, and cooling generation. This innovation will be demonstrated through an ORC system integrated with ZOREN’s Kızıldere-2 power plant in Denizli, Turkey.
In addition, TVS is developing parametric cost models for the nGEL control and EMS systems, which will support accurate CAPEX estimation for the complete nGEL-integrated ORC plant. TVS is also creating the nGEL Digital Twin—a virtual representation of the integrated geothermal ORC system and a first-of-its-kind platform in the geothermal sector. This Digital Twin will support project dissemination and serve as a valuable tool for plant owners, educators, and policymakers. It will enable feasibility assessments for new sites (greenfield), integration into existing plants (brownfield), and provide insights to policymakers considering renewable, nGEL-based heating and cooling solutions as alternatives to fossil fuel systems.
TVS is responsible for developing a dissemination plan aimed at all stakeholders identified by the project. We will formalise the current communication policy and plan to ensure that the relevant, accurate, and consistent information has reached the stakeholders and other appropriate audiences of the nGEL project. The communication policy will provide a framework to manage and coordinate the wide variety of communications that take place during the project.
According to the general dissemination plan, TVS will develop a project website for the dissemination of the project results. We will also facilitate the project’s participation in different events, conferences, workshops, and webinars, and publish articles in industry-related journals and trade magazines. Workshops might also be arranged in Germany and Türkiye in synergy with other projects, such as the PUSH-IT project.
About nGEL
Next generation flexible trigeneration geothermal ORC plant (nGEL) is aiming to transform a geothermal ORC plant to a flexible tri-generation plant capable of both efficiently as well as cost effectively responding to the dynamic demand of power, heating, and cooling, attributing geothermal energy as a dispatchable source to balance the power and thermal grid against the progressive integration of intermittent RES (i.e. solar, wind). This will be achieved through the integration of absorption chillers, thermal energy storage, cold thermal energy storage, heat exchangers, smart control and energy management system (EMS) with AI functionalities. If the nGEL technology can be implemented in all of the existing ORC plants in the EU, around 215 TWht heat can be delivered to the thermal grid, which is approximately 4% of the EU current annual heat demand, which corresponds to annual economic saving (on NG import) of € 9.6 billion/year.
This project has received funding from the Horizon Europe Framework Programme (HORIZON) Research and Innovation Actions under grant agreement No 101148170
