Drilling in Litomerice in the Czech Republic to explore potential geothermal development
Litomerice, Czech Republic (source: flickr/ mtvrdy, creative commons)
Alexander Richter
31 Jan 2020
Researchers in Litomerice in the Czech Republic are testing a well drilled to explore the potential for geothermal energy utilisation.
A news report by Radio Prague in the Czech Republic, looks into activities by Research INfrastructure (RINGEN) for Geothermal Energy (RINGEN), a research group on geothermal exploration.
The group has set up a special seismic sensor in a well drilled to a depth of 1,600 meters. The goal is to learn more about the potential of utilising geothermal energy. The goal with the well and the tests, is to explore a practical and cost-effective use of geothermal energy. If everything goes according to plan, another well could be drilled in Litomerice that goes even deeper.
The RINGEN group is a research institution set up and hosted by the Faculty of Science at Charles University in Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic. The RINGEN team is keen to harness geothermal energy, but also to analyse properties and behaviours of the underground rocks and fissures at that depth. The research is done with fibre optic cables.
RINGEN director Dr. Tomas Fischer: ““If we send out a laser pulse, we can determine from its reflection what the temperature is. We have the fibre optic cable now at a depth of 1.6 kilometres – and that allows us to measure the temperature in one-metre intervals along the entire borehole. And in that way, we find where the water flows, because it is actually colder than what surrounds it.”
The time it takes to drill and test the wells drilled for geothermal, exploring its viability for utilisation and set up required infrastructure can take up to 10 year. So looking into geothermal is part of the Czech Republic’s endgame to comply with the EU 2030 carbon emission targets.
The Czech Republic is among the highest air polluting countries in Europe and among the largest in terms of CO2 emissions, due to its production and use of coal. Today, 30% of the energy mix of the country comes from coal.
The country remains hesitant to put restraints on its mining sector, due to its importance to the local economy and pushes for new nuclear power generation, seeing renewables as still too expensive.
The current government has unexpectedly cut back government subsidies to similar research efforts than that by RINGEN in Litomerice.
The main objective of RINGEN is to create expert basis for research of effective deep geothermal energy utilisation that represents practically an exhaustless renewable energy source.
Handling of technology for exploitation of such energy will constitute strategic advantage especially in terms of enhancing the energy security and independence of the Czech Republic but also other European countries.
The RINGEN facilities will also serve to other significant building and energy industry such as subsurface construction industry and hydrocarbon extraction. RINGEN is also intended to be one of the nodes of the European geothermal testing sites.
Source: Radio Prague
