| Keywords |
district heating, Montana, Comsof Heat, GEOPHIRES, policy, incentive, design, optimization, residential, heat demand mapping |
| Abstract |
This project explores how policymakers and designers may plan their way from geothermal district heating (DH) project assessment, through regulation, to implementation. A reservoir simulation with GEOPHIRES creates a 500m-deep stimulated well production test case using existing flow and temperature data. The system is a low-temperature fault-controlled geothermal area, common to the Western United States. Using a previous building heat demand map for a nearby municipality, Comsof Heat automatically generates the DH network, based on heat source matching and revenue optimization. Such design optimization highlights the cost savings for low-temperature geothermal production from a new generation of DH construction materials and control. This presents policymakers and designers with geothermal levelized costs of heat (LCOH) bordering price parity with individual building gas-burning systems. After finding a low-cost geothermal LCOH from the design, this project explores utility regulation standing in the way of construction. Important barriers to overcome include the reclamation of proprietary customer data held by existing gas utilities, capital raises, revenue pressure, adoption incentive, and ownership. Using a combination of franchise agreements, tax credits, community ownership, municipal ordinance, and construction density incentives, policymakers can set conditions favoring network implementation. This will lead to permanent job growth in the development district. Helena, Montana serves as a demonstration site, proving design and policy are now ready for geothermal heat network deployment. In conclusion, if heat networks can meet the sustainability criteria set by State and local climate action plans across the United States while also delivering low-cost energy, they should be receiving broader attention. |