Abstract
The Netherlands experienced the fastest European expansion of geothermal energy exploitation in the past decade. The first Dutch geothermal sites proved that Hot Sedimentary Aquifers exploitation can play an important role in a future low-carbon energy mix. In this study, we estimate that with the expansion rate of the past four years, geothermal heat production from Lower Cretaceous Hot Sedimentary Aquifers could cover up to 20% of the heat demand in the province of Zuid-Holland by 2050. Although this is a significant amount, we show in this study that only 1% of the potentially recoverable heat will be recovered by 2050. This is because of inefficient doublet deployment on a ‘first-come, first served’ basis with operational parameters that focus on objectives of small decentralised heat grid demands. Instead, similar to the common-practise approach in the hydrocarbon industry, a regional coordinated ‘masterplan’ approach could be used to increase heat recovery. Utilising numerical simulations for flow and heat transfer in the subsurface, we showed that the heat recovery efficiency could be increased by tens of percentages with such coordinated doublet deployment. Based on calculations of the Levelized Costs Of Heat for both deployment strategies, we also show that current financial support schemes do not favour heat recovery optimisation. This study emphasises that although Hot Sedimentary Aquifer resources have the potential to cover a significant part of our energy demand, a radical change in financial support schemes and legislation are required to unlock their true potential.
Highlights
Huge amounts of heat are stored in Hot Sedimentary Aquifers (HSA) in regions all over the world (e.g., [1,2,3,4])
We estimate that with the expansion rate of the past four years, geothermal heat production from Lower Cretaceous Hot Sedimentary Aquifers could cover up to 20% of the heat demand in the province of Zuid-Holland by 2050
These resources are especially suitable for district heating applications and could play a significant role in our future energy mix when integrated into district heating networks or industrial processes (e.g., [5,6])
Summary
Huge amounts of heat are stored in Hot Sedimentary Aquifers (HSA) in regions all over the world (e.g., [1,2,3,4]). The Recovery efficiency, i.e. the ratio of the total recovered energy and the estimated energy in the resource or recovery factor, is a key performance indicator in hydrocarbon production [10] but rarely mentioned in relation to geothermal energy [11,12,13,14,15,16]. It is mainly discussed in HSA feasibility studies as conjectures [2,17,18,19] or in relation to hydrocarbon and heat co-production (e.g., [20,21,22]). Geothermal resources are often exploited by multiple independent operators with potentially conflicting objectives [26,27]
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.