Abstract
New techniques and methods for energy storage are required for the transition to a renewable power supply, termed “Energiewende” in Germany. Energy storage in the geological subsurface provides large potential capacities to bridge temporal gaps between periods of production of solar or wind power and consumer demand and may also help to relieve the power grids. Storage options include storage of synthetic methane, hydrogen or compressed air in salt caverns or porous formations as well as heat storage in porous formations. In the ANGUS+ project, heat and gas storage in porous media and salt caverns and aspects of their use on subsurface spatial planning concepts are investigated. The optimal dimensioning of storage sites, the achievable charging and discharging rates and the effective storage capacity as well as the induced thermal, hydraulic, mechanical, geochemical and microbial effects are studied. The geological structures, the surface energy infrastructure and the governing processes are parameterized, using either literature data or own experimental studies. Numerical modeling tools are developed for the simulation of realistically defined synthetic storage scenarios. The feasible dimensioning of storage applications is assessed in site-specific numerical scenario analyses, and the related spatial extents and time scales of induced effects connected with the respective storage application are quantified. Additionally, geophysical monitoring methods, which allow for a better spatial resolution of the storage operation, induced effects or leakages, are evaluated based on these scenario simulations. Methods for the assessment of such subsurface geological storage sites are thus developed, which account for the spatial extension of the subsurface operation itself as well as its induced effects and the spatial requirements of adequate monitoring methods.
Highlights
The transition of energy supply from fossil sources to renewable energy sources is essential for mitigating climate change effects and for preparing a future of sustainable energy supply (IEA 2013; Moomaw et al 2011)
The ANGUS? project addresses the requirements of a sustainable subsurface spatial planning scheme and the necessity of profound scenario analyses to predict the total space claimed by geotechnical energy storage operations, their induced effects and appropriate monitoring methods
The current status of the German laws concerning the use of the deeper subsurface is a first-come first-serve approach, in which the first applicant for a specific location is granted exclusive prospection and, in a second step, utilization rights. This implies that a geological formation, which is well suited for subsurface energy storage, may be used for other purposes or may be blocked by other types of use in intermediate formations, which inhibit access to the intended storage formation
Summary
The transition of energy supply from fossil sources to renewable energy sources is essential for mitigating climate change effects and for preparing a future of sustainable energy supply (IEA 2013; Moomaw et al 2011). Core strategies of the German Federal Government are the increased use of
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