The Road Ahead Toward Sustainable Geothermal Development in Europe

Abstract

As of 2010, the geothermal community scored a 10,715 MWe and 50,583 MWt geopower and geoheat capacities installed worldwide of which 1,300 MWe and 10,000 MWt located in Europe (including Iceland and Turkey). EGEC (European Geothermal Energy Council) set targets at 5,000 MWe and 25,000 MWt respectively. Figures assessed from authorised energy institutional sources have estimated, on the basis of present reserve assessment standards and power conversion processes, the geothermal power potential recoverable worldwide and in Europe at ca 140,000 and 10,000 MWe respectively. Furthermore, reclamation of the energy, stored as heat, over Continental Europe, to a depth of 5 km at temperatures above 150°C, would yield a 25,000 MWe generating capacity. Similar conclusions could be drawn for heat with a European dependable reserve base nearing 100,000 MWt. Clearly, to meet the aforementioned Geopower and Geoheat development targets, new resource and utilisation environments need to be explored and assessed, efficient production/conversion technologies designed and demonstrated and the life cycle of existing and future systems extended to secure sustainability requirements. The foregoing will be highlighted through selected case studies and development obstacles, constraints and incentives discussed accordingly. Meeting those ambitious geopower and geoheat development objectives requires that efforts, based on reliable reverable reserve assessments and sustainable heat mining technologies, focus on the following priorities: Shallow geothermal (< 400 m). Intensification ?? of the heat pump load. ?? Deep geothermal (< 4000 m). Harnessing the huge medium enthalpy reserve and CHP openings; implementation of district heating/cooling grids. ?? Ultra deep geothermal (? 5000 m). Mobilise an ad-hoc task force for making the EGS premises a reality, by first concentrating on the mid-grade poorly convective EGS sites before tackling the low grade, conduction dominated, EGS frontier. Last but not least, geothermal development requires that a large geothermal market be created and a geothermal industry structured accordingly.