Abstract
Germany uses its low enthalpy hydrothermal resources predominantly for balneological applications, space and district heating, but also for power production. The German Federal government supports the development of geothermal energy in terms of project funding, market incentives and credit offers, as well as a feed-in tariff for geothermal electricity. Although new projects for district heating take on average six years, geothermal energy utilisation is growing rapidly, especially in southern Germany. From 2003 to 2013, the annual production of geothermal district heating stations increased from 60 GWh to 530 GWh. In the same time, the annual power production increased from 0 GWh to 36 GWh. Currently, almost 200 geothermal facilities are in operation or under construction in Germany. A feasibility study including detailed geological site assessment is still essential when planning a new geothermal facility. As part of this assessment, a lot of geological data, hydraulic data, and subsurface temperatures can be retrieved from the geothermal information system GeotIS, which can be accessed online [1].
Highlights
The importance of renewable energy is growing since it is evident that fossil fuel supplies are finite, politically vulnerable and responsible for climate change
This paper focuses on deep geothermal energy resources in Germany
Only low and intermediate enthalpy resources are available in Germany, some regions are quite suitable for generating geothermal heat for direct use or even for power production
Summary
The importance of renewable energy is growing since it is evident that fossil fuel supplies are finite, politically vulnerable and responsible for climate change. The usage of thermal waters in spas is generally realised with a single production well (singleton) and flow rates rarely above 15 L/s. These systems rely on the natural recharge of the aquifer. Combined geothermal heat and power production requires similar flow rates and temperatures of at least 110 °C for economical operation. Modern conversion techniques such as the Organic Rankine Cycle or the Kalina cycle make it possible to generate power from fluids even below. Each geothermal project needs to be planned individually and must consider the great variation in the geological conditions of the deep subsurface
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