| Title | Social Aspects of Deep Geothermal Drilling in the ORCHYD Project |
|---|---|
| Authors | John A. Paravantis, Nikoletta Kontoulis, Vasileios Papakostas, Naveen Velmurugan, Florian Cazenave |
| Year | 2023 |
| Conference | World Geothermal Congress |
| Keywords | geothermal drilling, social acceptance, public awareness, environmental impacts, questionnaire survey, ORCHYD project |
| Abstract | The ORCHYD (Novel Drilling Technology Combining Hydro-Jet and Percussion For ROP Improvement in Deep Geothermal Drilling) is an ongoing Horizon 2020 project that endeavors to increase the drilling rate of penetration (ROP) of deep hard rocks from 1 to 2 meters per hour (m/h) to 4 to 10 m/h by combining two previously distinct, mature technologies: High Pressure Water Jetting (HPWJ) and Percussive Drilling. As a follow-up to recent work on the environmental impacts of deep geothermal drilling, this study addresses public understanding, public acceptance, and attitudes towards geothermal drilling. Despite the general acceptance of renewable energy, experience from some cases has demonstrated that public opposition, especially in the case of geothermal energy, can result in project termination. The purpose of this research is to explore the potential impact of an innovative drilling technique on the attitudes towards geothermal energy, with a focus on promoting social acceptance and facilitating the adoption of geothermal resources in countries heavily dependent on imported energy. The term acceptance refers to both sociopolitical and community acceptance. Examining the public awareness of a developing technology, such as deep geothermal drilling, is one method for determining the level of societal acceptance and minimizing the risk of opposition. Prior surveys have revealed that attitudes toward geothermal development frequently shift as the project progresses to the drilling stage and construction of the plant begins. Two major causes identified in the literature, which can negatively affect the public perception of geothermal energy, are induced seismicity and odors. Geothermal development and operation may have additional unfavorable environmental effects, which are also investigated in terms of social acceptance. These include negative impacts on ecosystems, human health, and the economy. To explore public acceptance towards deep geothermal drilling, an online questionnaire based on the findings of our previous research on the environmental impacts of deep geothermal drilling in the ORCHYD project has been designed. The questionnaire includes multiple-choice items for demographic information, and Likert-scaled ratings for NIMBY (not in my back yard) attitudes towards the technological, environmental, material, energy, socioeconomic, cultural, institutional and (geo)political aspects and impacts of geothermal energy and deep geothermal drilling. The survey is conducted among a diverse group of people in the five countries with partners that participate in the project: four European countries, France, the United Kingdom, Norway, and Greece and one Asian country, China. Some of the respondents are likely to have a background in engineering and/or geoscience subjects, or at the very least be familiar with those fields, which helped in a better comprehension of the survey. Multivariate statistical techniques such as Principal Component Analysis, Cluster Analysis, and multiple regression are used for the analysis of responses, with the aim of discovering similar societal attitude groups. The analysis endeavors to establish social perceptions resulting in environmental/geothermal energy societal tribes, and how they perceive the ORCHYD project and geothermal energy in general. Lastly, this research addresses a literature gap, by conducting one of the few surveys of the public acceptance of (deep) geothermal drilling. Barich, A., Stokłosa, A.W., Hildebrand, J., Elíasson, O., Medgyes, T., Quinonez, G., Casillas, A.C., & Fernandez, I.: Social License to Operate in Geothermal Energy. Energies, 15, (2022),139. Burgherr, P., Spada, M. & Sutra, E.: Comparative Accident Risk Assessment With Focus on Deep Geothermal Energy Systems In the Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD) Countries. Geothermics, 95, (2021), 102142. Cousse, J., Hahnel, U. & Trutnevyte, E.: Tell Me How You Feel About Geothermal Energy: Affect As a Revealing Factor of the Role of Seismic Risk on Public Acceptance. Energy Policy, 158, (2021), 112547. Meller, C., Schill, E., Bremer, J., Kolditz, O., Bleicher, A., Benighaus, C., Chavot, P., Gros, M., Pellizzone, A., Renn, O., Schilling, F., & Kohl, T.: Acceptability of Geothermal Installations: A Geoethical Concept for GeoLaB. Geothermics, 75, (2018), 133-45. Pellizzone, A., Allansdottir, A., De Franco, R., Muttoni, G., & Manzella, A.: Geothermal Energy and the Public: A Case Study on Deliberative Citizens’ Engagement in Central Italy. Energy Policy, 101, (2017), 561–570. Wüstenhagen, R., Wolsink, M., & Bürer, M. J.: Social Acceptance of Renewable Energy Innovation: An Introduction to the Concept. Energy Policy, 35(5), (2007), 2683–2691. |