Thursday, May 24, 2018

Netherlands: Opportunities for "Ultra Deep Geothermal"

Can Ultra-deep Geothermal Contribute to a Sustainable Energy System? (Elektor)

(Courtesy CIA.gov)
The last five years, geothermal energy has seen a slow but steady rise. District heating in Germany, France and the Netherlands is a success. Due to financial and regulatory constraints growth of Ultra Deep Geothermal (UDG) energy slackens, though. Can UDG serve as a renewable energy source in the Netherlands, now that it is phasing out Groninger gas?

Ultra deep geothermal energy (UDG) is ..... a chance for Dutch industry as well as a headache. Some forty percent of all energy demand in the Netherlands is heat; housing and process industry take an equal share. Up until now, UDG is used at two to three kilometres depth for sixteen greenhouses in Holland (Westland and Haarlemmermeer) but there are opportunities for other industries (like paper and dairy) as well. Moreover, the Dutch government recently announced that natural gas from its Groningen field has to be phased-out before 2023 (due to recent earthquakes in the Northern part of the country).