The Bavarian municipality of Ismaning is generating increasingly more electricity and heat from local energy sources. During the next few days, pump and injection tests will begin on the new geothermal plant that will continue for several months. At a depth of around 2000 metres, the two wells are extracting more hot water than was originally assumed. The trial operation of the geothermal heat supply can therefore begin.  more...

At the Annual Conference of the Renewable Energy Research Association (FVEE) on 16 and 17 October 2012, scientists and industrial representatives presented innovations along with new strategies for their market introduction. In his opening speech, Federal Environment Minister Peter Altmaier emphasised that greater importance should be given to research and development in regard to the era of energy revolution.  more...

The Unterhaching geothermal plant, one of the most successful geothermal projects in Germany, is celebrating its 10th anniversary on 20 October with an Open Day. The plant feeds heat into a district heating network and the remaining heat is used to generate electricity. For this purpose a special power plant process is utilised, the Kalina process. In the BINE Interview, Managing Director Wolfgang Geisinger talks about his decade of experience with the plant, technology and components as well as about the local heating market.  more...

Instead of screwing various module and collector types for solar power and solar heat on the roof, an obvious idea would be to use a hybrid collector that can do both and which creates a uniform appearance. In addition to generating photovoltaic electricity, which only utilises 15-20 % of the incident solar radiation, a so-called PVT collector can use the remaining radiation energy for generating heat. Researchers are working on optimising the output and production of these systems.  more...

In Germany, most geothermal plants are currently located in the Bavarian Prealps and in the Upper Rhine Graben. These predominately use the natural heat from the sedimentary aquifers in these basins. However, the larger geological heat deposits are found in crystalline rock layers. Together with its partners, the Leibniz Institute for Applied Geophysics (LIAG) has therefore started a 12-week geophysical measurement campaign in a 100-km² area within the Erzgebirge mountains. This is intended to determine whether geothermal energy generation is possible there.  more...

Geothermal energy can make a much greater contribution to supplying Germany’s energy than has been the case so far. However, more advanced technologies will be required that are specially adapted to geothermal energy and its mostly highly saline waters. One of the aims is to prevent corrosion on pipes, pumps and heat exchangers as economically as possible. At the geothermal research laboratory at Groß Schönebeck, basic research is being conducted, for example, on corrosion processes, the composition of deep waters and material properties in order to develop site-dependent recommendations.  more...

The region between the Swabian and Franconian mountains and the Northern Alps has large thermal resources underground (geothermal energy). The availability of this hot water at depths of between 1,500 and 5,000 m has led increasingly more local communities in the region to rely on geothermal energy as a mainstay for their local energy supply. The extent to which these geothermal plants can be operated stably in the long term has been investigated by the Leibniz Institute for Applied Geophysics (LIAG) in Hanover, which has now published its findings. These results suggest that long-term use is viable.  more...

What contribution can be made by geothermal energy to future electricity and heating supplies in Germany and which steps are necessary in order to utilise its potential? On 14 and 15 March, around 80 scientist discussed strategies, technologies and practical experience in the Brandenburg town of Joachimsthal, which is close to the geothermal research borehole at Gross Schönebeck.  more...

There are many places in Germany where deep geothermal energy is available as an environmentally friendly alternative to fossil fuels as a source of power and heat. When it comes to utilising this energy, drilling is the most expensive part. Power and heat generation is only cost-effective if sufficiently high water temperatures and flow rates are found. Via GeotIS, an online information system, planners can now gain fast access to geological and geophysical data for Germany.  more...

There are many good reasons for using geothermal power. For example, it is available around the clock, 365 days a year, has great potential in many German regions and can be used for supplying both heat and electricity. With this in mind, the German government intends to increase the contribution of geothermal energy in domestic energy production in Germany in the future. The new 6th Energy Research Programme from the German government details the key research areas for the coming years.  more...