| Title | Country Update, Faroe Islands – Geothermal and Groundwater Resources |
|---|---|
| Authors | Malan ELLEFSEN, Jana ÓLAVSDÓTTIR, Randi K. RAMSTAD and Bjørn FRENGSTAD |
| Year | 2020 |
| Conference | World Geothermal Congress |
| Keywords | Country update, Faroe Islands, geothermal energy, shallow geothermal wells, geothermal gradient, groundwater resources |
| Abstract | Through the last 10 years more than 300 shallow geothermal wells have been drilled in the Faroe Islands for extraction of ground source heat for private households. These wells have given valuable insight into the variations of the geothermal gradient and the groundwater resources in the Faroese subsoil. Little research had been conducted on the subjects prior to commercialization of geothermal wells in the country, and due to lacking regulations on data gathering while drilling, only a small amount data was collected for the first few hundred wells. This data, although sparse, gave new and exciting insight into the geothermal gradient and the groundwater system on the islands. Unexpectedly, data showed a geothermal gradient ranging from around 20oC/km to as high as 40oC/km for the uppermost 300 meters in places. It also revealed a well-functioning groundwater system, with fresh water most likely residing at layer boundaries and in open fracture systems in the volcanic rocks. The several hundred drilling sites across the islands show an approximation of about 10-15% of the wells being artesian in nature, encountering large quantities of fresh water ranging in heat from 8oC to as high as 27oC. Due to very high precipitation rates in the area the recharge time of the groundwater aquifers is most likely only a few years. In order to fully understand the overall geological and structural framework onshore the Faroe Islands, new research has been commensed that - in combination with new data from the rapidly increasing number of geothermal wells being drilled - will aid in the development of a viable model for the geothermal and groundwater resources available in the Faroe Islands. |