Science & Technology: Research on Creating Geothermal Reservoirs in Sandstone

Drilling for heat deep down below (TU Delft)

(Courtesy TU Delft)

The deeper you go into the ground, the hotter it gets. Richard Bakker, a researcher at the Geoscience & Engineering department at the Delft University of Technology (TU Delft), knows all about this. He has previously conducted research on volcanoes, but is currently working on geothermal energy. In other words, using the heat from the subsurface to generate sustainable energy. 

"You do not simply dig for energy," explains Bakker. "There must be water in the subsurface at a depth where the temperature is just right."

"Unfortunately, geothermal energy cannot yet be successfully used everywhere because not all rock types in the subsurface allow the water to flow equally well. This is the case in large parts of Europe where sandstone layers predominate. These layers are not permeable enough to allow sufficient water to pass through." Bakker is therefore studying the precise properties of this rock and whether it can be made more permeable by drilling holes in it. He does this as part of the SURE project in the Geoscience & Engineering lab at TU Delft.

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