New technologies for geothermal utilisation developed in Switzerland
Researchers at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich (ETH) are working on systems for utilising energy from underground. In addition to minimising earthquakes caused by artificial cracks, closed systems for water and CO2 are also being researched.
Researchers at ETH are fully utilising energy from underground to generate electricity and heat. Several research groups at the university are exploring the possibilities of geothermal energy, the ETH announced in a press release. According to the statement, Switzerland is better prepared for the utilisation of geothermal energy than it was a few years ago in terms of technology, regulations and public acceptance.
A group led by Stefan Wiemer, Professor at the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences at ETH and Director of the Swiss Seismological Service, is conducting research in the BedrettoLab on minimising earthquake risks in so-called enhanced geothermal systems. A sensor-supported system monitors the creation of the necessary artificial cracks in which water heats up. The knowledge gained in the BedrettoLab is being utilised in the planning of the geothermal pilot power plant in Haute-Sorne JU.
The group led by Martin Saar, Professor of Geothermal Energy and Geofluids in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences at ETH, is exploring the possibilities of closed raw circuits in which CO2 circulates. These so-called deep closed-loop advanced geothermal systems could be “a climate-friendly alternative to CO₂-intensive reserve gas power plants”, Saar explains in the press release. The group has also already patented so-called CO2-Plume Geothermal Systems. These combine the permanent storage of CO2 in rock with its utilisation for the production of heat and electricity. The storage of process and summer heat from buildings in rock, which can be used for heating in winter, is also being investigated.