The residents who were in the German village of Geretsried has long wanted their buildings to have a clean heat and electricity from geothermal energy instead of fossil fuels.
Their expectations were drawn about 15 years ago by a drilling company could not find hot water near the surface to be profitable using traditional geothermal technology. He was basically left with natural gas.
“We gave up. We’ve had great expectations,” Geretsried Michael Müller’s first mayor, as it grew in town.
Today, the next generation of geothermal companies has been successful where previous efforts failed. They do not rely on the hot water near the surface, but they use techniques developed in the oil and gas industry, cold heat and hot, heat out of the cold. One of them is launching the first commercial Central Center of Geretsried.
Can such technology be scaled and is really a difference for the future of the planet? International Energy Agency believes. In a final report, the advances in technology said they are unblocking the high geothermal energy potential. Companies are drilling more than 3 kilometers (about 2 miles), almost all countries have heat and electricity so that IE said.
“It has been a niche energy and it has concentrated in some countries,” he said in an interview with the executive director of Fatih Birol. Soon, Birol said: “Geothermal can quickly help the global energy image.”
Eavor Ceo Redfern said Gerestried Earlier failure expanded the opportunity to achieve high profile – Geretried’s common geology was attractive. No one will surprise when the Canadian company showed his technology in Iceland, he added.
He helped the town was excited for geothermal and spread it for new ideas.
“Our whole point is to be geothermal anywhere, everywhere,” Redfer said. “How better it is to put our first vessel and failed with traditional geothermal systems.”
Germany is committed to fossil fuels. As part of the commitment, heating systems must change to renewable sources, which heats is one of the main sources of carbon dioxide emissions in Germany. And Germany could not depend on import Russian natural gas Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022 after he invaded.
Eavor, designated for the phrase “Eternal Energy”, has an Alberta, Canadian demonstration facility. Business managers know well. One of them managed the operations of a pre-drilled contractor.
This project will begin by creating electricity in Geretsried, and then added heat while the town fully builds the heating system.
With the district heater, heat is created in a central location and distributed into houses and businesses. Most of these systems smoke fossil fuels, especially in China and Russia, which is the largest of them, according to the IEA. Europe has 17,000 district heating and cooling networks by serving 67 million people by Euroheat & Power, International District Energy Network.
In the United States, the district energy systems are mostly on the university campuses, in military bases and in several areas of the large cities in downtown areas. Some universities are changing their district heater systems from gas or heating oil to geothermal energy to address climate change. As long as you are translating Trump Administration, oil and gas policies, it seems Geothermal benefit.
Eavor also has a contract to give heat in the northwestern city of Hanover. The city of more than 500,000 people is getting coal.
Eavor also provides its technology to those who want to bend emissions and those who want safe energy and energy, Redfer said. Japanese Japanese supplier, Chubu is a business company. Japan has many sites for geothermal but geothermal central plants.
The mode of operation is that the Eavor drills two wells about 4 miles (2.5 miles), then pulling the branches and drills a dozen side wells to get a relationship with the heat of the rock. To create a closed cross the wells, water can spill the “Eavor loop”. The Geretsried project will have four loops, each with two vertical wells and about 12 side 12.
Eavor does not frack, or hydraulically fracture, creating cracks and increase permeability of rock.
Instead, in Geretsried, he pumped water through cold hot, heating in contact. Of course it will rise well to climb the surface.
Hot water can be used to heat the utility water to send through pipes to be equivalent to about 36,000 homes. Hot water can also be focused on a power plant for steam and then recirculated. When used to rotate the turbine, the steam can cause electricity without spilling greenhouse gases.
Müller, mayor, is better today to start changing energy approach than to push tomorrow. Residents cannot trust fossil fuels in the long run, they need to deal with climate change and require safe energy.
“We want to continue to be evidence of the future,” he said. “So let’s start the future.”
____
Related press “Climate and environmental coverage receives economic support from the numerous private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find the AP Standards Work with Philanthropes, List of supporters and funded coverage sites Ap.org.