The Value of Heat Interconnection Pipelines in the Use of Deep Geothermal Energy

Bavaria is one of the hotspots of geothermal use in Germany. The heat demand in Bavaria does not usually coincide spatially with geological settings favorable for the extraction of geothermal energy. This contribution presents a methodology for the techno-economic design of large-scale geothermal district heating systems with long-distance heat transport. It includes the mapping of geothermal potential for direct-use, the estimation of district heating potential, and an optimization model resulting in the minimum system cost based on heat transport pipelines. Our results show that heat supply costs can be significantly reduced if fewer geothermal wells are drilled in more geologically favourable areas at greater distances from heat sinks. We observed that the economic performance of geothermal district heating systems is sensitive to the operating time. Long-distance heat transport enables the coordinated deployment of geothermal projects to simultaneously supply heat to multiple urban areas at competitive costs. By integrating long-distance heat transport, geothermal energy could transition from a local to a regional use, thereby increasing its contribution to the low-carbon heat supply.     «

Bavaria is one of the hotspots of geothermal use in Germany. The heat demand in Bavaria does not usually coincide spatially with geological settings favorable for the extraction of geothermal energy. This contribution presents a methodology for the techno-economic design of large-scale geothermal district heating systems with long-distance heat transport. It includes the mapping of geothermal potential for direct-use, the estimation of district heating potential, and an optimization model result...     »