Assessing the Environmental Sustainability of Deep Geothermal Heat Plants

Lilli Maar () and Stefan Seifermann
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Lilli Maar: Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Applied Sciences Mannheim, 68163 Mannheim, Germany
Stefan Seifermann: Department of Engineering and Management, University of Applied Sciences Mannheim, 68163 Mannheim, Germany

Energies, 2023, vol. 16, issue 19, 1-19

Abstract: The energy sector is responsible for a large share of climate-damaging emissions. Regarding the decarbonization of the energy sector, deep geothermal energy is considered to have high potential, particularly in the area of heat supply. In order to gauge the extent to which heat use from deep geothermal energy can make a positive contribution to climate protection, deep geothermal systems should be appraised using an environmental sustainability assessment. Although electricity generation from deep geothermal power plants has been evaluated in many ways in the literature with respect to its sustainability, no such sustainability evaluations of pure geothermal heat plants have been conducted so far. In order to close this research gap, this study presents a systematic approach that makes it possible to apply suitable sustainability criteria across the individual life stages of deep geothermal heat plants based on life-cycle assessment (LCA) guidelines. To demonstrate the effectiveness of the systematic approach presented here, a planned geothermal heat plant in the Upper Rhine Valley, Germany, serves as an example. Based on the estimated plant parameters and the predicted total heat yield, it was possible to determine, for example, the “energy returned on energy invested” (EROI) of the plant, which was approximately 34, and the specific CO 2 emissions, which were approximately 5.6 g/kWh th .

Keywords: deep geothermal heat plant; sustainability; life-cycle assessment; EROI; CO 2 emission factor; environmental impact (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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