Geothermal Energy Plant Unterhaching, Germany

Abstract

In the Bavarian town of Unterhaching inhabitants can lean back relaxed. They do not have to be worried about rising prices of heating oil and gas in the future, because the first geothermal energy plant for heat- and power generation has been realized in their community. This is possible because of the advantageous geologic location in the upper Bavarian Molasse Basin. There is an aquifer three kilometers below the surface. This hot water carrying layer, the so called Malmkarst, allows the utilization of heat, which is stored in the earth’s interior, nearly for free and in an unimaginable dimension. Furthermore the utilization of renewable thermal energy is an environmentally friendly alternative to heat supply by heating oil and gas.
The commune of Unterhaching has already started the first steps towards a geothermal energy supply in the year 2001. The public company called “Geothermie Unterhaching GmbH & Co KG” has been specially founded for managing and handling the geothermal project in Unterhaching. Project partners of the commune of Unterhaching were the Business Consultants of Rödl & Partner from Nuremberg. The consulting company has attended the Geothermie Unterhaching GmbH & Co KG from the very first moment and was in charge of the complete project management.