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Local college could be first buyer of heat from new geothermal project the Netherlands

Local college could be first buyer of heat from new geothermal project the Netherlands Signing of Letter of Intent, Dec. 2020 (source: Deltion College)
Alexander Richter 6 Dec 2020

Local Deltion College and the municipality of Zwolle sign agreement on a potential connection of the college to a new district heating network fed by a geothermal project in Holtenbroek, Netherlands.

The Deltion College and the municipality of Zwolle will investigate whether the building of the school can be connected to the heat network that is being constructed in Holtenbroek. Deltion is currently still largely heated with natural gas and sees heating the building with heat from a geothermal source as a great opportunity to make the campus more sustainable. Bert Beun, Chairman of the Executive Board of Deltion College and Monique Schuttenbeld, Alderman for the Energy Transition Municipality of Zwolle, signed the letter of intent on Thursday 3 December.

With the declaration of intent, the municipality and Deltion agree that they will jointly investigate whether connecting to the heat network is feasible in terms of technology and costs. The planning is also considered.

Deltion does a lot in the field of sustainability

“We must leave the earth better than how we found it. At Deltion, we already do a lot in the field of sustainability, such as signing the seventeen Sustainable Development Goals, or sustainable development goals. In addition, we have signed the covenant ‘new sustainable development goals’ together with the Zw8lse. The connection to the heat network is therefore a great opportunity to further increase sustainability. ”

Heating with geothermal energy

By 2050, buildings in the Netherlands will no longer be heated with natural gas. The buildings and houses in Zwolle are also supplied with heat in a different way. Geothermal energy from geothermal energy is one of the alternative energy sources that can be used to make Zwolle natural gas-free. Geothermal energy uses the warm water present in deep layers of the earth. The heat obtained is transported to homes and other buildings via a heat exchanger and a pipe system (heat network). The cooled water is returned to the substrate. In other parts of the Netherlands, geothermal energy is already being used successfully, particularly in glass and horticulture, such as in the Koekoekspolder in Kampen. In the North of Zwolle (Dijklanden) there are also opportunities to construct a geothermal source. If everything goes well,

Natural gas-free Zwolle

“With the signing of this agreement, a natural gas-free Zwolle comes a little closer”, says alderman Schuttenbeld. “The transition we are making to natural gas-free will really take a few years, but we are working hard on it together. Every step, big or small, is one! This letter of intent is a good example of this. With this we show how, together with partners, we are on the road to a natural gas-free city. ”

If the results of the studies are positive and the collaboration is continued, Deltion will be one of the first consumers of geothermal heat in Zwolle by the end of 2023.

Source: RTV Focus Zwolle, Deltion College