Geothermal energy – energy that comes from the depths of the earth
Deep below the earth lies an immense source of energy – thermal water in hot rock. Geothermal power plants can “tap” this water as another form of renewable energy. Following the successful completion of many years of research projects in Bruchsal and the Alsatian Soultz-sous-Forêts, one thing is certain: Geothermal energy offers environmentally friendly and future-proof energy from the region 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
Ensuring the yield of the hot deep rock
Whether geothermal energy can be used economically depends not only on the above-ground power plant but also on the temperature of the deep rock used and how well this water can pass through and heat up. The geological conditions are examined before drilling, but a residual risk remains for the investment. Making this risk controllable is the goal of the EU-funded DESTRESS project – Demonstration of soft stimulation treatments of geothermal reservoirs. Until 2020, an international consortium of 16 partners from research and industry will be using examples of real geothermal plants to investigate which methods are particularly effective in developing the subsoil. How fissured, porous, and mineralised the deep rock around the borehole is plays a major role. The project aims to find the most suitable method for generating as much geothermal energy as possible adapted to the respective situation. The technical-economic evaluation of the measures in the project is the task of EnBW. Particular attention is paid to achieving high performance for a long time whilst avoiding environmental impacts.