Gardanne

The City of Gardanne

Gardanne, located between Marseille and Aix-en-Provence, has a mining history dating back two centuries. Its last coal mine, which closed in 2003, is now nearly fully filled by seepage water.

The Demonstrator

The Gardanne demonstration is based on a district heating and cooling network that uses water from Europe's deepest mine shaft (1100m) as an energy source. The network has been half completed, with three substations presently functioning and the other substations scheduled to be active by 2023.

The site aims at :

  • hosting REWARDHeat solutions by integrating them into the “House of Energy”: this space targeting the general public, will be equipped with media installations dedicated to renewable and low-carbon heating networks and through guided tours, visitors will be able to access the main substation and discover the real-life application of REWARDHeat solutions;
  • testing new storage and energy management strategies in order to maximize the utilisation of PV energy;
  • using the mine-shaft as seasonal storage by leveraging from acquired data and knowledge on its behaviour and implement dedicated control strategies;
  • develop an “holistic” assessment to ensure the best technical and operational scheme is put in place to foster RES integration and energy solidarity among the network.