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E.ON participating in study on deep geothermal energy in Sweden

E.ON participating in study on deep geothermal energy in Sweden Harbour view in the city of Malmö, Sweden (source: flickr/ Maria Eklind, creative commons)
Alexander Richter 7 Feb 2018

Swedish E.ON is participating in a preliminary study to explore if geothermal energy could be utilised in Skåne, the southern most region of Sweden, with the city of Malmö and several private sector participants.

Geothermal energy could have great potential and be an important component in achieving the energy and climate goals in Skåne, the southernmost county of Sweden across the sea from Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark.

Now E.ON in Sweden has announced its participation in a preliminary study on the conditions for using geothermal heat and thermal power in the future.

Geothermal energy consists of heat produced in the interior of the earth and transported to the Earth’s crust. The heat in the bedrock increases with the depth and in Sweden the temperature increases by 15-30 °C per kilometer (the geothermal gradient). At a mean temperature in the ground area of 10 ° C the temperature is two kilometers deep 60-70 °C.

The preliminary study on energy from deep geothermal energy, which runs from December 2017 to May 2018, is run by the County Administrative Board in Skåne. The aim is to investigate the geothermal conditions in Skåne and how a combination of geothermal heat and thermal power could be used to provide a continuous flow of both heat and electricity, unlike many other renewable energy technologies whose availability varies (depending on the weather) and which thus placing demands on energy storage.

The project analyzes, both technically and economically, how modern geothermal technology combined with thermal power could be used on a larger scale in Skåne. The study also includes a study of geological conditions, energy potential, risks, challenges, environmental impact and how the results from the preliminary study could be implemented in an implementation project with regard to, for example, green jobs and the development of a geothermal knowledge center.

Participants in the project are E.ON, Againity, Climeon, Geoop, County Administrative Board of Skåne and Malmö city.

Financiers are the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the Region of Skåne.

Source: E.ON