Medium-enthalpy geothermal for electricity, heating, or both?
Setting up of district heating system (source: TNO)
Carlo Cariaga
8 Jun 2022
A Linkedin post by Energy Systems Expert Loic Quiquerez looks into the different scenarios of utilizing a medium-enthalpy geothermal resource.
In a Linkedin post by Energy Systems Expert Loic Quiquerez, he breaks down the merits of the different means of utilizing a geothermal resource at 120 -150 degrees Celsius. Through a simplified systematic approach, Quiquerez comes to the conclusion that using geothermal as a carbon-free alternative to heating is the most efficient mode of recover, given that there is a demand for heat.
The brief analysis looks at three alternatives:
- Using a geothermal resource to produce electricity only
- Using a geothermal resource to produce electricity and feed a heating network in parallel
- Using a geothermal resource to produce heat only
The figure below summarizes the systematic analysis of these three scenarios.
Based on this analysis, Quiquerez emphasizes that the direct use of geothermal energy on a heating network is just as useful, if not more, than the production of electricity. However, he also notes that the decarbonization of heating will require a massive deployment of heat pumps, the deployment of heating networks, and works best when the resource is close to the heating needs.
Source: Loic Quiquerez via Linkedin
