Utilization of geothermal energy with focus on Denmark

This work will involve knowledge connected to geothermal sources, what they are and how they can be used for production of energy and electricity. Focus will be on the current situation in Denmark and to end by covering a possible Danish future development in geothermal. Denmark is one of the countr...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Elf, Hanna
Format: Other/Unknown Material
Language:English
Published: Lunds universitet/Institutionen för energivetenskaper 2010
Subjects:
Online Access:http://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/1764338
Description
Summary:This work will involve knowledge connected to geothermal sources, what they are and how they can be used for production of energy and electricity. Focus will be on the current situation in Denmark and to end by covering a possible Danish future development in geothermal. Denmark is one of the countries most engaged in the development of district heating and currently more than half of the households are being heated through district heating. The capital region works on extending the existing network and converting a substantial amount of existing natural gas supply into district heating. The utilization of geothermal energy varies greatly around the world and some countries have particularly favorable conditions, however Denmark has not yet been considered one of them. The heat in the Danish subsurface reaches a maximum of around 100 °C, which can be viewed as relatively modest but a sufficiently high temperature to be used in the district heating network. A collaboration between district heating companies in the metropolitan area has lead to a geothermal pilot plant where work is conducted on a possible expansion. A recent survey from The Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland shows that down to 3000 m in Denmark there is heat to theoretically be able to ensure the country’s heating need for hundreds of years. Denmark has ambitious goals in terms of a climate-neutral society, where the supply of electricity and building heat energy is of importance. The submitted plans and visions are proposals on how geothermal energy could play a major roll in the Danish energy supply, especially in a longer perspective. Finally, three aspects have been chosen to present the ability to accelerate the expansion of geothermal energy in Denmark: 1. The cost of a geothermal project is usually high and there is a substantial risk that unpredictable geological conditions can turn a geothermal project into a total failure. Insurances for geothermal projects are available in Germany, however not in Denmark. 2. A new drilling ...