| Title | High Temperature Storage in the Dutch subsurface –critical factors and economic feasibility |
|---|---|
| Authors | Veldkamp, J G; Pluymaekers, M P E; Vandeweijer, V P; van Wees, J D |
| Year | 2016 |
| Conference | European Geothermal Congress |
| Keywords | high temperature, aquifer thermal energy storage, the Netherlands, performance calculation |
| Abstract | Many geothermal doublets that are used to produce heat face the problem that the demand is low in summer and high in winter. Hence, the full potential of the doublet is not used in summer, and may fall short in winter. A solution is to store the excess hot water in shallow aquifers when demand is low, and produce it when demand is high. We have assessed the factors that play a critical role, and developed a calculation tool to assess the economic feasibility. The tool uses data, knowledge and models of the subsurface, and data related to drilling and the geothermal installation, in combination with a discounted cash flow model. The latter uses economic variables such as CAPEX, OPEX, project duration, etc. The most important outcome of the tool is the levelized cost of energy. The permeability of the aquifer, the temperature of the stored water and the number of operational hours are the most important performance indicators for a high temperature storage system. The sensitivity analysis shows that the minimum required transmissivity is about 120 Dm. In the shallow subsurface, between 100 and 200 meters, the minimum required transmissivity is about 200 Dm. The higher the temperature and the number of full load hours, the lower the cost price per unit heat becomes. The shallow aquifers of the Netherlands were screened for applicability of high temperature storage. Two business cases were evaluated with different subsurface conditions and heat supply and demand. The calculation tool is available as Excel spreadsheet. |