Geothermal energy is natural and renewable, and a large number of countries in the world use it for industrial and domestic processes. However, the efficiency of these plants depends on how well the area on which they are located is suitable for energy production. This suitability is a complex combination of geophysical factors, largely still unknown. To date, the study of the suitability of an area for the construction of a geothermal power plant requires invasive inspections, drilling, related permits and authorizations and large costs. Furthermore, the citizens involved in the areas of inspections and construction ask, with right, transparency on the reasons for choosing their territory for the construction of a power plant and on the benefits and problems, ecological and social, that this can entail.

As part of a scientific collaboration between the Institute of Information Science and Technologies “A. Faedo” (Cnr-Isti) and the Institute of Geosciences and Georesources (Cnr-Igg), the researchers Gianpaolo Coro (Cnr-Isti ) and Eugenio Trumpy (Cnr-Igg) have created the first global map, at 50 km resolution, of the suitability of an area for the installation of a highly efficient geothermal power plant. The map was created over the course of two years, through the combination of geospatial analysis techniques and artificial intelligence, after careful selection and processing of dozens of geophysical parameters potentially related to global geothermal power plants. Every 50 km, the map indicates the probability that the area is suitable for the installation of a high performance power plant. L’ Reliability of the map has been assessed against about 200 new or planned plants worldwide, correctly predicting over 92%.

The model identified the following variables as the most important for assessing the geothermal suitability of a site: carbon dioxide emissions to the ground, earthquake density, altitude, heat flow, sediment thickness and surface air temperature. The optimal combination of these variables was learned automatically by the artificial intelligence model developed by the researchers and was then applied to produce the map. geothermal suitability of a site: carbon dioxide emission on the ground, earthquake density, altitude, heat flow, sediment thickness and surface air temperature. The optimal combination of these variables was learned automatically by the artificial intelligence model developed by the researchers and was then applied to produce the map. geothermal suitability of a site: carbon dioxide emission on the ground, earthquake density, altitude, heat flow, sediment thickness and surface air temperature. The optimal combination of these variables was learned automatically by the artificial intelligence model developed by the researchers and was then applied to produce the map.

The results were published in the authoritative journal “Journal of Cleaner Production” (Elsevier). The data and processes used are available for free on the Cnr-Isti D4Science platform, which promotes open science and the repeatability of experiments.

The result of this research has great potential for the geothermal industry, for the population, for decision-making bodies and for geologists. In fact, it saves time and money for preliminary inspections, with obvious benefits for the ecosystems, the landscape and the populations involved. Furthermore, it facilitates communication with citizens through transparency on the reasons for the selection of their territory for the construction of a plant, promoting the debate on the trade off between the protection of the territory and ecosystems and the interests of the geothermal industry.

See also:

• Article in the Journal of Cleaner Production. G. Coro, E. Trumpy. Predicting geographical suitability of geothermal power plants. Volume 267, 2020, pp. 121874
• D4Science infrastructure
• Service / Maximum Entropy Model used in the article
• Service / Data-Interpolating Variational Analysis Model used in the article
• Data and results downloadable from D4Science

Source: CNR

The Indonesian Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) is targeting new regulation on electricity tariffs and geothermal exploration costs to be completed this year. With this regulation, the government expects investors to be interested in investing in geothermal projects.

Therefore, the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources has accelerated the drafting of the regulation even in the midst of a corona pandemic. ESDM Ministry’s Geothermal Director Ida Nuryatin Finahari hopes that the regulation can make the investment climate in the geothermal sector more vibrant. Because the development in the geothermal sector has a high level of risk and the costs are quite large. “This is what we hope can encourage the acceleration of geothermal investment in Indonesia. The target is to finish this year,” Ida told local news today.

Even so, Ida has not been able to explain in detail the rules that are being compiled. She only mentioned that the regulation on exploration costs is a direct direction from the Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources, Arifin Tasrif. Through this policy, the government hopes that the selling price of electricity from Geothermal Power Plants (PLTP) is more affordable. This policy will later be contained in special rules governing the development of the geothermal sector in Indonesia.

In addition, the auction of Geothermal Working Areas (WK) this year has not yet been carried out. Because the activity is waiting for the latest regulations related to geothermal energy. The Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources plans to offer five WKP through auction and assignment schemes to State-Owned Enterprises (BUMN). However, the government is still keeping WKP a secret that will be offered by the government this year. In the previous auction, the government offered three WKPs, namely Lainea WKP, Gunung Galunggung WKP, Gunung Wilis WKP. But the auction had not seen the expected interest.

In fact, geothermal is one type of renewable energy that can be used directly or converted into electricity. Even so, Indonesia has not yet utilized energy from geothermal energy. Though this country has the second largest geothermal reserves in the world or about 40 percent of global reserves. According to the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, Indonesia has only developed 2.1 GW of geothermal power generation capacity having the second largest geothermal reserves in the world or about 40 percent of global reserves.

Source: Katadata

A fund of EUR 3.4m (USD 3.8 million) has been awarded by the European Commission to a project on geothermal energy, that will be led by researcher Maren Brehme (TU Delft). The project entitled ‘EASYGO: Efficiency and Safety in Geothermal Operations‘ is one of the Innovative Training Networks meant for extraordinary global research as well as excellent training opportunities for PhD candidates to reach doctorate level.

Researching safe and efficient geothermal energy

Geothermal energy will play a key role in the energy transition as part of mitigating climate change. But how to operate a geothermal system in the most efficient and safe manner is one of the key challenges after a geothermal resource has been identified. EASYGO will answer that question from different perspectives, integrating geology, geophysics, geochemistry, advanced modelling and process engineering. The research is aligned with two key research questions:

• How do we run geothermal systems efficiently?
• How do we run geothermal systems safely?

All 13 PhD students (5 for TU Delft) will work on a specifically identified project but will learn aspects of the entire geothermal operation chain in an outstanding training programme. They will have access to unique large-scale research infrastructure available at the 4 universities and 10 industry partners of the consortium. The project will strengthen the geothermal research group at TUD around Phil Vardon, Maren Brehme and David Bruhn.

Training future geothermal-energy experts

Given the challenges in geothermal operations and the ambitious expansion plans for geothermal energy in many countries, there is an urgent need for geothermal experts with a broad understanding of geothermal systems. An important objective of EASYGO as an innovative training network is to train tomorrow’s leading geothermal-energy experts.

As Maren Brehme explains: “We would like to bring the next generation of geothermal energy leaders to the market with the best experience, skills and network, and we believe that this project does exactly that.”

Founding an IDEA League Doctoral School

EASYGO brings together four of the IDEA League partners (TU Delft, ETH Zurich, RWTH Aachen and Politecnico di Milano). The IDEA League is a strategic alliance of leading European universities of technology. This League already offers a joint MSc programme in Geophysics, but EASYGO will now bring the League to another level of scientific collaboration and will set a new standard in Joint Doctoral Education in the form of an IDEA League Doctoral School.

Source: TU Delft

In a release today, German drilling and geothermal energy group Daldrup & Söhne AG announced having successfully drilled the first well of the triplet for Aardwarmte Combinatie Luttelgeest B.V., Luttelgeest (ACL), Netherlands. The vertical drilling depth of the deviated production well was around 1,800 m. The production volume (bulk density) in the initial tests is well above the expected yield of 100 l/sec. At 76 Celsius, the temperature of the deep water is also slightly above the forecast. For greenhouse operators, this increases the profitability of the heating plant and shortens the payback period.

The production well has been technically complex. Initially, drilling was carried out with a diameter of 28 inches, which was tapered to 11 inches with increasing depth. This Dutch geothermal energy project is the first time that a so-called protective pipe string (“inner string”) has been installed, which ensures the production activity and longevity of the well (well integrity) in the long term. Daldrup & Söhne AG expects this to become the new standard in Dutch geothermal projects.

GERF B.V., a 100 % subsidiary of Daldrup & Söhne AG, will drill the second of a total of three wells ordered from mid-June onwards. The project is expected to be completed in spring 2021 with the completion of the heating system and heat distribution network.

After the successful drilling and installation of the heating plant for the customer Nature’s Heat, ACL is the second customer in the Netherlands for whom the Daldrup Group is constructing a geothermal heating plant on a turnkey basis on the basis of an EPC (Engineering Procurement Construction) contract with integrated coverage of the exploration risks via Daldrup’s own ART (Alternative Risk Transfer) structure. In addition to the standard contract concepts, Daldrup & Söhne AG is striving to further establish the EPC concept with the ART structure in the Dutch market.

Source: Company release

Following a way too long period of uncertainties, it is now being announced that incentives for geothermal energy (Fer 2) will be released “by this summer”, as reported by Greenreport in Italy.

“In the last meeting at the Ministry of Economic Development, Undersecretary Alessia Morani assured that the incentives for geothermal energy had been reintroduced, and that the act would be released by the summer after the opinion of the Agricultural Policies.”

Tuscan geothermal energy, a renewable source that satisfies 30% of regional electricity demand and supports – between direct and non-employed workers – about 4,000 jobs in the area, has been suffering from a stalemate for some time, which has worsened since 2018 with the unexpected stop to incentives in the Fer 1 decree (then published in the Official Journal on 9 August). After demonstrations born from below that brought thousands of people gathered in the Geothermal movement to the streets and the commitment of local institutions, the first reassurances arrived in January 2020: according to the indications then arrived by the undersecretary at the Ministry of Economic Development (Mise) Alessia Morani the arrival of Fer 2 was in fact expected for February. But then the pandemic came, but the commitment seems to remain: now the horizon is that of summer.

The news is given by the President of the Tuscany Region Enrico Rossi, responding to the requests received in recent weeks by the Pd – Territorial Coordination of Pisa. “As you well know – Rossi replies to the secretary of the Pomarancino Pd club, Loriano Fidanzi – Tuscany has long been engaged in the fight against climate change and in the direction of a carbon neutral region, that is, with a zero emission balance, by 2050. A goal for which the contribution made by geothermal energy is fundamental, as certified for some time internationally by the IPCC – the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, or the highest scientific authority in the world on climate change ».

As known, in fact, the IPCC in its special report Renewable energy sources and climate change mitigation clearly reports that the “widespread deployment of geothermal energy could play a significant role in the mitigation of climate change”. All the more so in Tuscany, where geothermal technologies were born for the first time in the world and have continued to develop.

“As regards the aforementioned DM Fer2, I inform you – continues Rossi – that in the last meeting at the Ministry of Economic Development, Undersecretary Alessia Morani ensured that the incentives for geothermal energy had been reintroduced and that the act would be released by the summer , after the opinion of the agricultural policies. The question of relations with Enel and the expiration of concessions (currently scheduled for 2024, editor’s note) is also on the working table of the Region and their commitment to the future investment plan will necessarily be taken into consideration. Finally, as regards CoSviG, despite the Covid-19 emergency in progress, I can assure you that the offices are working to obtain registration so as to transform CoSviG into a real agency for the development of these areas (an advanced hypothesis for the first time during the extraordinary regional council of Larderello last August, ed) “.

“In this area – concludes Rossi – there are great opportunities for development in terms of growth and employment, which must be guaranteed, respecting the environment and the territories”. Possibilities that await now to be declined in facts.

Source: GreenReport

In a release shared in late May 2020, St1 announces that the finalization phase for the company’s Otaniemi geothermal heat wells has been finished.

The hydraulic tests and counter-stimulation were finalised during the week 21. The work progressed according to plan and almost in the planned schedule. A broken tool caused a few days’ delay.

The effects of the measures were closely monitored in co-operation with the Institute of Seismology of the University of Helsinki. A monitoring system has been set up for the project, which enabled hydraulic tests and stimulation to be carried out in a very controlled manner – without endangering people or property. A measurement network installed deep in the rock was used to monitor both the flow of water and the micro-earthquakes that the work steps caused deep in the bedrock. Micro-earthquakes may have caused momentary sounds on the ground in nearby areas. Sound waves could have also resonated in windows and structures, but they did not pose a danger to people or damage structures.

The company apologizes for any noise nuisance caused by micro-earthquakes that may have occurred to residents in nearby areas during the finishing phase of the heat wells.

Next, drilling equipment will be dismantled at the Otaniemi construction site and construction of above-ground parts will begin.

Source: Company release

Supreme Energy, established in 2008, is responsible for three geothermal operating fields in Indonesia. Muara Laboh Power Station in West Sumatera producing 85 MW of energy, and exploration sites at Rajabasa and Rantau Dedap.  Supreme Energy has been using technology from New Zealand-headquartered software house Seequent, specifically its Leapfrog Geothermal software package, since 2015 to manage and visualise data to make important decisions and communicate those decisions to its various stakeholders.

Recently the company caught up with Supreme to talk to them about their challenges in geothermal energy production and how Seequent technology is enabling them to save time, money and make informed decisions about the subsurface.

Source: Seequent

The winners of a competition by Geothermie Suisse on “Communicat(ing) on how geothermal energy enters our daily life” were interviewed by the organization.

The winners of this first project competition by Geothermie Suisse are: Luca Guglielmetti and Stéphane Matteo. In the interview, they explain how their idea for a project came about and why they want to address a wider audience with their “Geothermal Pills”.

Luca Guglielmetti is a senior research scientist in the Department of Earth Sciences at the University of Geneva.

Stéphane Matteo is currently communication manager for platinn, the innovation platform in western Switzerland, while working as an independent videographer.

Videos below – in English also on YouTube, and in French on Vimeo (beer video, caviar video) and with German subtitles (beer video, caviar video)

What are “Geothermal Pills”? What idea is behind it?

“Geothermal Pills” are a way to communicate to the general public about geothermal energy without going too far into the technical aspects, but rather focusing on how this geothermal energy enters our daily lives. The idea is to reach the general public by producing short clips, the “pills”, to explain the different aspects of geothermal energy and how everyone can benefit from its development.

You have decided to make your first two films with Tuscan beer and caviar “made in Switzerland”. Why these choices?

Who doesn’t like beer? And Tuscany? We have already been in contact with the geothermal brewery in Larderello for several years, which is why the choice of this first subject was easy. But in Tuscany, the geothermal conditions are very specific and different from what we find here. This is why, in addition to showing what can be produced with high temperatures, we wanted to show what is possible in Switzerland with geothermal resources at low temperatures. Thus, the production of caviar in Frutigen at the base of the waters of the Lötschberg tunnel has proven to be an excellent example of circular economy and enhancement of the local territory.

What other geothermal products could we imagine presenting in Switzerland?

The fact that many projects in Switzerland are underway and that many more will start soon will bring us a wide range of topics. The potential of Switzerland is very important and we are convinced that people are impatient to learn more about geothermal energy in Switzerland. We think that the idea of ??creating short clips is attractive to the public who are also interested in knowing more about a geothermal project “from the resource to the fork”. With each project, there is always an interesting story to tell!

How did this idea develop from its conception to its realization?

We had this idea a few years ago, when we were both in Neuchatel to do our doctorate. The basic idea was to communicate on geothermal food, because we knew that in several countries of the world, it is used in the food chain. But it wasn’t until last year that we started to structure the idea by identifying a few potential topics to tackle. Of course, the opportunity offered by Géothermie-Suisse with the help of projects came at just the right time! We were very happy to finally have the opportunity to put our ideas into practice and launch the “Geothermal Pills”.

The first two films were part of the competition. And now what’s next?

Our idea is to set up a social media platform, regularly updated with new clips. In one to two minutes you can give an overview of what geothermal energy is, what is happening in Switzerland or in the world geothermal community. With particular regard to food geothermal energy, we would like to create a European or international project to bring together the various national associations and operators of geothermal energy and replicate the model that we have developed for caviar and beer with other applications such as vegetables, flowers, cooking methods… In short, all the geothermal applications that highlight the contribution that this energy can make to the global energy transition.

Source: Geothermie Suisse

In an article Swedish Baseload Capital discusses how renewable energy (geothermal) can save the historic spas of Japan.

Decades of economic recession have forced many onsen owners into bankruptcy. Last year one inn closed after having operated continuously since 704, and this year the sudden decline of Chinese tourists due to the COVID-19 has caused still others to shutter. But what if the onsens could stay open by capitalizing on their hot water resources in another way?

More than just an onsen

On June 1, 2020, Baseload Power Japan commissioned its second power plant in Japan, at an onsen in Gifu. “We first got the idea when we were driving around Japan and started noticing signs for closed onsens,” says Baseload Capital COO Pernilla Wihlborg. “we started asking onsen owners if they might be interested in making money by creating power from their hot water and in parallel, we established our local subsidiary. Eventually we came into contact with onsen owner Ms. Midori Mizunami.”

Midori’s spa has been in operation for 14 years, but the ups and downs of the tourism business can be challenging. “For business owners, it is a relief to have income from two different sources,” says Midori. “Now, when the tourist business is down, I will still have money coming in from the power being generated from the Climeon (geothermal) heat power plant.”

At many onsens the water coming out of the spring is so hot that it must be cooled before guests can bathe in it. “That’s one extra benefit we can offer onsen owners,” says Masahiro Ito, Representative Director of Baseload Power Japan K.K. “The power plant can lower their costs by cooling the water at the same time that it creates electricity.”

The renewable energy frontier

Since the Fukushima Daiichi disaster, Japan has stopped producing energy at most of its nuclear plants, and is one of the few nations in the world building coal plants in order to provide its citizens with reliable power.

“Even though Japan has amongst the highest geothermal potential in the world, there simply aren’t enough geothermal energy plants in operation to guarantee their effectiveness and justify a large-scale roll-out,” explains Pernilla Wihlborg. “Midori’s plant is an indication that this could work at many of the 30,000 natural hot springs all across Japan, which would enable the country to offset more power produced by fossil fuels with renewable energy.”

“It can be a tough step to be a pioneer, because you are taking a risk by doing something no one else has done before,” says Ms. Midori Mizunami. Hopefully her bravery will reward not only her, but many generations to come and maybe it was a step towards moving Japan in the forefront when it comes to renewable energy through geothermal power.

Source: Baseload Capital via Cision

In collaboration with the Yukon Geological Survey, Innovate Geothermal Ltd. and its principal Jeff Witter performed a multi-component geoscientific investigation in southwestern Yukon (Territory), Canada to initiate the search for subsurface geothermal energy resources that could be used for direct use applications and, possibly, the generation of electricity.

The study area for this project is located near the community of Burwash Landing and straddles the eastern Denali fault zone. The aim of this project is to analyze and interpret a variety of pre-existing and newly-acquired geological and geophysical data sets to identify favourable subsurface targets for a shallow, exploratory geothermal drilling program that could take place in the future.

The geoscience work accomplished here includes both 2D map interpretation as well as construction of a 3D geologic model that was tested by geophysical inversion modelling of gravity and magnetic survey data. In addition, a literature review was conducted to identify analogous geothermal structural environments located in similar crustal-scale transform fault zones for comparison with geothermal systems that may be present in the vicinity of the Denali fault.

Importantly, geophysical data from this study discovered a right-step in the Denali fault that has the appropriate orientation to form a small pull-apart zone in the Earth’s crust within the project area south of Duke River. Such crustal extension may generate fractures and permeability in rocks in the subsurface. Subsurface permeability in geothermal systems provides the pathway for hot geothermal fluids to ascend to drillable depths.

This study has identified seven drilling targets, all located in the vicinity of the previously mentioned right-step in the Denali fault. The 3D geologic model generated for this study was utilized to help understand the lithologic domains and structures likely to be encountered by the proposed exploratory boreholes.

The distribution of temperature in the subsurface, however, remains a significant unknown. Regional-scale, Curie point depth estimates suggest an average geothermal gradient of ~40°C/km near the eastern Denali fault, but drilling is required to measure actual subsurface temperatures. Based upon the encouraging results of this study, it is recommended that at least two of the seven targets are drilled to depths of 500–1000 m to obtain data on subsurface temperatures, fluids and geology.

Authors: Witter, J.B.

The full report and extensive data can be downloaded via the link below.

Source: Yukon Geological Survey

An interesting program with experienced experts active in the Upper Rhine Graben since many years will introduce the actual development in the most promising geothermal spot in Middle Europe. The IGC Online Meeting: Upper Rhine Graben on June 17, 2020 takes place virtually from 14.00 to 17.30 (CET) and is supported by TRION climate and EGEC.

In the tri-national Upper Rhine Region, utilities are the pioneers of geothermal energy utilization. In all of the three countries bordering to this region, Switzerland, Germany and France, utilities operate successfully geothermal plants. In the northwest of Switzerland, the Basel utility IWB is in a partnership with the community of Riehen, running the heat plant since more than 25 years without any disruptions. In France Electiricté de Strasbourg (ES) is involved in cooperations with EnBW for the EGS pioneer project Soultz-sous-Forêts and with Roquette Frère in the industrial heat supply for drying of starch. In Germany EnBW is operating the combined heat and power plant in Bruchsal and the Pfalzwerke the power plant in Insheim. All utilities are involved in their geothermal projects since the beginning of the project development and operate the plants successfully with no interferences fort he public.

At the IGC Online Meeting about Geothermal Energy in the Upper Rhine Graben these projects will be presented regarding the experiences of the operators and their further perspective for geothermal energy utilization. Besides this, high lithium contents are getting in the focus of the existing operating plants but also giving a new economic perspective for the development of further plants. A general overview about the extracting technologies and the state of art is given by Lena Kölbel from Hydrosion. Further topics of the IGC Online Meeting Upper Rhine Graben is the monitoring of seismicity illustrated at the plant of Insheim, which is introduced by Ludger Küpperkoch from the IGEM in Mainz. A general overview on the potential for geothermal in the Upper Rhine Graben is given by Dr. Wolfgang Bauer from 360 plus Consult as introduction to the IGC Online Meeting. The Kick off on June 17 will be an introduction of the registered particpants to facilitate the exchange between participants and speakers and giving the possibility to connect to each other.

More information about the program you find at igc.events. Here you can also register for 200 EUR. Every participant will get the chance to introduce himself and his company in 45 seconds with one slide and can contact every other particpant of the IGC Online Meeting – for this reason the number of participants is limited to 20. More than half of the spaces are already occupied.

Lean more about the Upper Rhine Graben on igc.events and secure your place today!

Source: Enerchange via LinkedIn

In the framework of the “Energy Solutions for Cities of the Future” project, and under the umbrella of the Global Geothermal Alliance, IRENA organised a series of three webinars to increase the knowledge of local and national policy-makers, and other key stakeholders on the available options and tools to facilitate fuel switch to renewable energy in district heating and cooling networks in cities.

The webinars were organised in partnership with Aalborg University and build on the on-going work to develop a guidebook titled, Enabling the Integration of Low-Temperature Renewable Energy Sources in District Heating and Cooling Networks’, which will feature case-study presentations from different parts of the world.

The first and the second webinars took place of 20 April and 14 May 2020 respectively.

The third webinar on May 26, 2020 presented the available options for overcoming the technical challenges associated with the integration of low-grade heat into district heating and cooling networks, both at the network level and the building level. It also featured a case study presentation on district cooling.

Program: 

• Technical challenges and solutions for the integration of low-grade heat sources into existing networks and buildings – Brian Vad Mathiesen & Jakob Zinck Thellufsen, Aalborg University
• Integration of renewable energy for thermal use in cities – technology, project development and case studies – Yong Chen, IRENA (50:00)
• Overview – Geothermal District Heating Iceland – Alexander Richter, Iceland Renewable Energy Cluster (1:23:00)
• The role of District Cooling in Accelerating Decarbonization – Olivier Racle, Engie (1:49:00)

Webinar 3: Integration of low-temperature energy sources into existing district energy networks and buildings – overcoming technical challenges

Disclaimer: The author is the presenter of the presentation on Iceland’s geothermal district heating background for the Iceland Renewable Energy Cluster.

As part of the Interreg Energy Transition project in the Caribbean, and in partnership with the Guadeloupe Region, the French BRGM and OECS, Agence de la transition écologique (ADEME) has announced the launch of three tenders on the theme of regional geothermal development:

• Operational implementation of the Caribbean Centre of Excellence in Geothermal, based in Guadeloupe
• Study of the content and how to implement the training programme provided through the Caribbean Centre of Excellence in Geothermal
• Designing and writing a guide to the environmental and societal integration of geothermal projects

Bid deadline: July 10, 2020

Details on the different tenders can be found via the links below. The tender provided for in French, might only be open to French nationals/ entities, but we don’t know.

In late April, Climeon commissioned its first geothermal installation in Japan. The first installation was a bottoming cycle where the Heat Power module recovers the waste heat from an existing high temperature geothermal power plant. Now Climeon has commissioned the company’s second installation, which is located by a traditional Japanese spa.

“It is a fantastic feeling to be able to put the second power plant into operation so close to the commissioning of the first power plant in Japan. Despite the prevailing global situation, the teams at Climeon and Baseload have continued to work hard and therefore also managed to complete not just one, but two installations in a short time,” says Thomas Öström, CEO of Climeon.

Climeon and Baseload Power Japan’s second installation is located in Okuhida Onsengo Kansaka, where the companies have built a geothermal power plant in connection to a traditional Japanese hot spring, onsen.

“This power plant is very symbolic to us, as it shows that our fantastic tradition of onsen can be combined with a green energy transition where geothermal heat power plays a key role,” says Jack (Masao) Watanabe, President of Climeon Japan K.K.

Japan is a highly prioritized geographical market for Climeon, due to the country’s favorable conditions for geothermal electricity production. According to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), more than half of Japan’s geothermal resources are located around national parks or near the country’s 27,000 thermal springs. For centuries, communal baths and hot springs, onsen, have been an important part of the Japanese culture. However, many landowners in rural Japan have struggled to find a commercial use for their land as the spa business has been in decline for several years. Through Climeon’s small and discrete power systems, these spa owners now have the possibility to add a new income stream, without harming the spa or the nature, while at the same time contributing to the country’s green energy transition.

Source: Climeon

In conjunction with its release of the European Geothermal Market Report 2019, EGEC highlights the exponential growth of Europe’s geothermal sector while pointing out that market conditions are not ideal for the sector to thrive and reach its potential.

In Europe, the geothermal energy market has been growing fast in 2019, but the policy framework has been proven crucial in affecting its development. These findings come from the European Geothermal Market Report 2019 published today by the European Geothermal Energy Council (EGEC).

At the end of 2019, in Europe there were 130 geothermal electricity plants in operation, 36 projects under development and 124 projects in the planning phase for a total 3.3 GWe capacity. This predicts that the number of operating power plants, with base load, could double in the next 5-8 years.

Europe is a leading market for geothermal district heating and cooling systems. In 2019, there were 5.5 GWth of installed capacity in 25 European countries, with many new planned projects throughout Europe compared to 2018. The status of geothermal district heating and cooling reflects a stronger interest for this renewable resource and the possibility to implement it almost everywhere in Europe, covering 25% of the EU population. The trend of ongoing projects anticipates a rapid acceleration and a diversification in leading markets.

In 2019, the European geothermal heat pump market reached a milestone of 2 million heat pumps installed. The technology became mainstream in certain national markets, proving its maturity to drive the shift of the heating sector to renewables.

Overall, the use of geothermal energy can scale up very rapidly with the right policies and market conditions: stable policy framework, proper insurance schemes, sound Research & Development & Innovation policies, carbon price and stopping the support for fossil fuels, including gas.

On the contrary, the stop-and-go policies witnessed in certain countries (notably Germany and France) represent a huge disruption for geothermal technologies, hinder the market and ultimately slow down the uptake of urgently-needed solutions to decarbonise the European economies.

Philippe Dumas, EGEC Secretary General, said “Geothermal energy is sparking enthusiasm throughout Europe, and not only for heating and cooling in buildings and infrastructures, but also for industrial processes and agriculture. New opportunities are arising with the extraction of sustainable geothermal lithium made in Europe. With so many different applications, vast untapped potential and the high growth rates of the last years, geothermal energy is bound to become the bedrock of energy transition. 2020 to 2030 will be the “Geothermal Decade”. Suitable European and national policy frameworks can and should encourage this trend if European countries are serious about becoming zero-carbon by 2050.”

Key findings of the European Geothermal Market Report 2019

The full version of the European Geothermal Market Report 2019 is available to members only.

EGEC is organising a webinar on 17 June at 11:00 am (CEST) to discuss the key findings of the market report. The webinar is free and you can register here.

Covering all segments of the sector – from electricity and geothermal heat pumps to district heating and cooling – the Geothermal Market Report provides a comprehensive picture of the state of the sector in Europe, as well as insightful analysis of the market trends, policy framework and technology evolutions that shape the geothermal sector.

Source: EGEC

In an announcement released today, U.S.-based Quaise Inc., an energy company pioneering millimeter wave drilling technology to access deep geothermal energy, today announced that it has raised $6 million in Seed Funding. The funding round was led by The Engine, the venture firm spun out of MIT that invests in early-stage Tough Tech companies that are solving the world’s most urgent problems through the convergence of breakthrough science, engineering, and leadership. Vinod Khosla was instrumental in founding as well as funding the company. Collaborative Fund also participated in the financing.

Geothermal energy is thermal energy stored within the Earth and is available everywhere, but it has been hampered for use as a significant energy source by limitations in drilling technology, except in select locations on the planet where it is readily accessible near the surface. With advances in deep drilling technology, supercritical geothermal energy would be unlocked around the globe, and it is abundant enough to power our civilization for millennia.

Quaise is developing and commercializing a hybrid deep drilling method that was invented at the MIT Plasma Science and Fusion Center. Its breakthrough technology uses a gyrotron to generate millimetric electromagnetic waves for drilling at depths beyond what can be accomplished today with conventional drilling. The company is working toward accessing depths of 10-20 km, which would dramatically open the opportunity for this clean, carbon-free and power-dense energy source.

“Our focus is on applying this breakthrough approach to drill deep enough to access the abundant hot rock that exists in the Earth’s crust, unlocking a clean energy source at scale,” said Carlos Araque, CEO of Quaise Energy. “We intend to capitalize on the knowledge and footprint of the oil and gas industry to achieve this goal, giving us a 100-year head start for achieving operations on a global scale.”

The future of geothermal energy and disruption of traditional drilling has been pursued for over a decade by MIT’s Paul Woskov. Woskov first suggested using gyrotrons to melt and vaporize hard crystalline rock upon reading The Future of Geothermal Energy report sponsored by the Department of Energy and received a grant from The MIT Energy Initiative to validate his ideas in the lab. In 2017, Paul Woskov was introduced to Carlos Araque and Matt Houde via Aaron Mandell from AltaRock Energy and, in 2018, Aaron, Carlos and Matt collectively founded Quaise to pursue further development and commercialization of the technology.

“The world’s energy demand is expected to increase by 50% over the next three decades with the vast majority of today’s demand met by fossil fuels,” said Ann DeWitt, General Partner, The Engine. “Geothermal energy is one of the few energy sources capable of addressing the challenge this poses to our planet, if it’s broadly accessible. Quaise’s technology promises exactly this.”

“Geothermal remains the most promising non-nuclear dispatchable energy source,” said Vinod Khosla. “It does not require storage, has a small land footprint and at the depths Quaise is targeting, becomes viable and competitive throughout the world, not just at today’s geothermal sites. Wind and solar, while low cost, require long term storage, and their large land footprints make them viable only in certain locations.”

The funding will support Quaise’s work to mature the technology and build out a multi-disciplinary team across three locations: Boston, MA, Houston, TX, and Cambridge, UK. Quaise will also further its relationships with field development partners and extend collaborations with research institutions.

About Quaise

Quaise is developing and commercializing novel millimeter wave drilling systems to harness geothermal energy around the globe, overcoming the geographic constraints limiting this energy source today. Quaise’s technology enables the clean energy transition by accessing the largest source of power-dense clean energy on Earth.

Additional background on the technology targeted by the company can be found in this report prepared for the U.S. Department of Energy in 2014 (pdf), not sure though if this ties into the work by Quaise or a potential predecessor.

Source: Company release via Businesswire

Vantaan Energia, one of Finland’s largest city energy companies will start work on a geothermal geothermal heating plant in Vantaa Varisto. The renewable heat generated at the plant is directed to the Vantaa district heating network and sold to geothermal customers. Vantaa is a municipality in the greater Helsinki area, the capital of Finland.

Ilkka Reko, Director of Vantaa Energy’s heat business, says that drilling work will begin in August. Prior to drilling in the area, preparations and material purchases are made.

“We should be ready at the turn of the year. In December, trial operation and production should be possible,” Reko estimates.

Quantitative Heat (QHeat) is responsible for the construction of the plant. Quantitative Heat Oy’s or QHeat’s technology is based on heat wells about 2 kilometers deep, which utilize the thermal energy of the soil. The plant will produce about 1,400 MWh of heat, which corresponds to the heat demand of about 100 detached houses.

This corresponds to a volume of about 40 traditional and 300 meters deep geothermal wells [of a traditional heat pump system].

Investment aid for new technology

Vantaa Energy was granted a 35 per cent investment subsidy for the project through Business Finland. The investment support has made it possible to introduce a new type of technology, which, according to Reko, is being tested for the first time in Finland on such a scale.

According to Reko, the new technology separates the Varisto geothermal plant from the Otaniemi geothermal plant in Espoo, whose construction work has caused even small-scale earthquakes. Two holes have been drilled in the Otaniemi geothermal plant, and one in the Varisto geothermal plant.

“This is not fundamentally different from normal geothermal well drilling, which is drilled around the city even in the middle of a settlement. We make a slightly bigger hole and go deeper and the equipment is higher and more robust,” says Reko.

According to Reko, Varisto’s drilling work should not cause any disturbance to the area’s residents. The plot of the Varisto heating center is not located near the settlement.

“We have a different technology in which one hole is drilled inside which a vacuum-insulated collector tube is placed. Cold water is lowered along the outer surface of the hole and warm water is transferred up along the collector pipe. The warm water at the top is heated to approximately 80-100 degrees.”

“When we get experience from this, we will see if we can reproduce this sensibly. And of course, as expertise evolves, costs fall, the heating business manager opens.”

In recent years, Vantaa Energy has invested heat in environmental friendliness. Last autumn, Vantaa Energy announced that it would accelerate the abandonment of coal and that it intends to end its use in energy production in 2022.

Source: Iltalehti, Vantaan Energia

Comment: With project like this the lines between traditional heat pump systems and deeper heat-exchange systems are becoming increasingly blurry. Targeting deeper heat resources, these projects – based on heat exchange technology – are not tapping water resources like traditional deep geothermal projects. Exactly, how this works is so far a bit unclear to use, but we are investigating and will be reporting on it.

The European Geothermal Workshop is a research-focused venue for students, scientists, and industry members to discuss new approaches, methods, and data pertaining to geothermal reservoirs, geothermal energy exploitation, and related topics. 

The workshop will take place over two days 7 and 8 October 2020.

The organisers have announced that registration and abstract submission for the 8th European Geothermal Workshop is now open!

Owing to the extraordinary circumstances of the Covid-19 pandemic, EGW 2020 will be an entirely online event and we are excited to invite the geothermal community to take part in this exciting online experiment.

Please read the information below for details about how this conference will be operated.

This year’s workshop will feature:

Keynote speeches delivered by experienced researchers presenting cutting-edge practices, current research priorities, and the state of the art of specific topics relevant to the geothermal sector. Keynote speeches will be delivered via 45-minute video presentations, with 15 minutes for questions.

8 sessions centered around the European Energy Research Alliance’s Geothermal Sub-programmes:

• Assessment of Geothermal Resources
• Exploration of Geothermal Reservoirs
• Construction of Geothermal Wells
• Resource Development
• Energy Conversion Systems
• Operation of Geothermal Systems
• Sustainability, Environment and Regulatory Framework
• Computing and Data Management

All accepted submissions will be given equal display/discussion time during the workshop, please see the website (link below).

For more information on scheduling, please consult the Workshop program,

Source: EGW2020 – website

We were pointed out to this interesting presentation looking at an interesting angle to take experiences from the oil and gas sector and possibilities of applying those on geothermal.

In this online presentation exploration advisor Tina Rasmussen of Danish company WellPerform explains the work and the results of a recent study screening the states of Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia for geothermal resources using Play Area Mapping. She explains how it is possible to make a high level screening of a very large area in just a couple of months. The results can then be used to scope out more detailed studies with local focus. The work was carried out for Southern Company in collaboration with  partner Petrolern LLC.

The approach to the Play area mapping looks into the basis on data mining and a data management framework, followed by a data synthesis, or the so called basin focus. Then in the time frame of months, play-s specific datasets are created and it is looked at creating a “play” inventory, or the so called Play Focus. … then the longer term (years) looking into identifying focus areas, creating prospect inventory and select the prospect portfolio, so called Prospect Focus.

This presentation and approach could be interesting in the context of tapping into the oil and gas know-how for geothermal exploration. It is believed that such a systematic approach, adopted from oil and gas exploration, could be required for geothermal energy to mature as an industry.

Icelandic company Carbfix has seen a lot of interest for its work on carbon storage at the geothermal power plant of Hellisheidi, Iceland.

Started out as a research project in 2006 and the success of a pilot project, the project turned company now captures CO2 from emission points or from the atmosphere and injects CO2 charged waters into geological formations.

Following the success of the pilot injections , the injection was scaled up to industrial scale at Hellisheidi geothermal power plant and has since been been an integral part of the operation of the Hellisheidi Geothermal Power Plant since June 2014. At current capturing capacity, approximately 1/3rd of the CO2 and about 3/4th of the H2S emissions from the plant are being re-injected, or approximately 10,000 tonnes of CO2 and about 6,000 tonnes of H2S annually.

In the webinar on 12 June 2020 at 14:00 CEST, the company’s CEO Dr. Edda Sif Pind Aradóttir will introduce her company and the Carbfix process of capturing and turning CO2 to stone

Register here: www.igc.events/en/webinar.