Feasibility study to be done for geothermal heating in Germering, Bavaria

Germering, Germany (source: flickr/ Polybert49, creative commons)

Carlo Cariaga 16 Feb 2022

The works committee of the city of Germering in Bavaria, Germany has agreed to initiate a feasibility study for geothermal heating with a funding application. The results of the study will help the city council decide whether the implementation of the project will continue which is expected to cost around 110 million euros.

Preliminary study

The decision was aided by the results of preliminary study done by Petra Denk, professor of energy and business administration at the Institute for Systemic Energy Consulting (ISE) at Landshut University of Applied Sciences. Together with climate protection officer Pascal Luginger, Denk had drawn up the city’s energy use plan for around a year.

In Denk’s model, two boreholes will have to be drilled about 3500 meter deeps to access geothermal fluids at around 85 degrees Celsius. This will be enough to provide heating for around 1400 households. These will include the Kreuzlinger Feld and larger residential buildings, as well as a recreational outdoor pool.

Beyond the economics advantage of the project, Denk emphasized the ecological advantage of transitioning to geothermal. Geothermal energy would be a key component in achieving CO2 neutrality for Germering. Denk expressed that conditions in Germering are at least as good as those in Pullach and Grunwald, where geothermal heating is already available.

Project location

The projected location for the drilling is in city property located south of the Autobahn and 300 meters away from residential buildings. A logistical challenge of this location is that it will require distribution pipes to cross the Autobahn underground. This will add the cost of the project, although not significantly considering the total estimated cost of 110 million euros.

The economics of the project has been aided by funding options that have become better in recent years. A forthcoming new version of the federal funding for efficient heating networks (BeW) has the potential to provide a maximum of 40 million euros.  Luginger also mentioned having received inquiries from homeowners who have expressed an interest in switching to renewable energies in light of increased prices for gas and oil.

Time frame is unclear

The study still at its very early stages, there is not yet a clear timeline for project implementation. Neither Petra Denk nor building authority engineer Andreas Robrecht can give an estimate on when the first houses can be connected to the future heating network. However, the results of the feasibility study will probably be available within two years. Further decisions will then be made based on these results.

Source: Merkur.de