地热能何时将成为主流?

法国著名汽车制造商雷诺公司(Renault)与法国公用事业公司Engie合作在法国杜埃市开发地热能项目

欧盟委员会的研究表明，地热能可以帮助欧洲实现到2050年前成为首个碳中和大陆的目标

地热能得到了政府更多的关注，但私人投资者积极性却落后了

据油价网2022年12月3日报道，由于世界各国政府鼓励在风能和太阳能以外的可再生能源领域进行更大的创新，以及大量的融资机会，长期被忽视的替代绿色能源正在全球各地涌现。尽管几十年来人们对各种可再生能源都有了解，但大多数国家都专注于最容易生产的低成本能源。但是许多替代能源的潜力是巨大的，需要更多的研究和开发来建立卓有成效的运作。 

其中一种能源就是地热能，地热能具有利用地球热量生产丰富清洁能源的潜力。 然而，克服获取地热能的障碍——需要钻到地球表面深处——阻止了许多公司投资地热能项目。不过，欧盟和美国能源部(DoE)都强调了地热能在支持向绿色能源转型方面的巨大潜力。现在，法国著名汽车制造商雷诺公司(Renault)宣布在这种能源上押下重金，但其他公司会追随雷诺公司的脚步吗? 

欧盟已经为深层地热能成立了一个实施工作组(DG工作组)，以鼓励欧洲对地热能进行更多的研究，并提供一种清洁的供暖和电力来源。DG工作组正在监督深层地热能实施计划(IP)的实施。DG工作组认为，在欧洲建立地热能产业将有助于实现《欧洲绿色协议》和《地平线欧洲》的目标，从化石燃料转向地热能有望帮助该地区脱碳25%的能源需求。人们还认为，利用现有的技术，25%的欧洲人口可以经济有效地使用地热能供暖。  

欧盟委员会的研究表明，地热能可以帮助欧洲实现到2050年前成为首个碳中和大陆的目标。地热能有望为欧洲的绿色能源结构作出贡献，支持现代化的区域和公共供暖系统，并帮助实现欧盟2022年REPowerEU能源计划的目标。地热工业的发展预计还将有助于推进其他可再生能源业务，因为从地热流体中提取矿物有可能实现可持续的锂生产。因此，欧盟委员会正在支持几个地热能创新的研究项目，这将有助于欧洲的绿色能源转型。

地热能是通过钻到地球表面进入地下热袋而产生的。在地下几英里的岩石和水中，通过钻到地下储水层来获取地热资源，就可以获得热量。这些热量可以驱动涡轮机发电。

一些项目已经推出。例如，坐落在一个很强地热潜力土地上的克罗地亚已经开发了一个地热工厂，由于它外观与飞碟相似，这个地热工厂在景观中脱颖而出。克罗地亚希望建立一个24小时无碳供电的电网，为邻国奥地利、匈牙利和塞尔维亚的未来项目提供绿色电力。

克罗地亚碳氢化合物机构首席执行官Marijan Krpan表示：“从中产生大量电力的潜力巨大。集中供暖有巨大的潜力。农业也有巨大的潜力。”然而，尽管人们对地热能的兴趣日益浓厚，但在国际层面上它仍然很少被提及，大多数政府和能源公司继续在风能和太阳能发电上大举投资。但这种情况今后有可能会改变。 

今年11月份，法国著名汽车制造商雷诺公司宣布将与法国公用事业公司Engie合作，在未来15年里在法国杜埃市的设施开发和运行一个地热能项目。钻探作业预计将在2023年开始，计划在4000米深处抽取热水。钻探作业预计最早将在2025年满足工业和供暖过程的需求，水温将在130到140摄氏度之间。雷诺公司表示：“一旦实施，这种地热能技术将持续提供近40兆瓦的电力。”此外，“在夏季，当对热量的需求较低时，地热能可以用来生产无碳电力”，雷诺公司补充道。

但这是否会鼓励其他公司追随雷诺公司的脚步? 这种曾经很少被提及的能源正逐渐获得关注，特别是为创新的地热能解决方案提供资金的欧盟和美国等主要政治大国。但这可能需要更多的主要私人能源、汽车和工业参与者公开采取行动，让其他人了解地热能的潜力，并投资于这种绿色能源。 

李峻 编译自 油价网

原文如下：

When Will Geothermal Energy Go Mainstream?

·     French automaker Renault partners with Engie on geothermal project in Douai.

·     European Commission research showed that geothermal energy could help Europe in its aim to become the first carbon-neutral continent by 2050.

·     Geothermal energy has gotten more attention from federal governments, but private initiatives are lagging behind.

As governments worldwide encourage greater innovation in renewable energy beyond wind and solar power, with significant funding opportunities available, alternative green energy sources are popping up around the globe, having been long neglected. Despite the knowledge of a variety of renewable energy sources for several decades, most countries have focused on the low-cost sources that are easiest to produce. But the potential for many alternative energies is significant, requiring greater research and development to establish fruitful operations. One such power source is geothermal, with the potential to harness the power of the Earth’s heat to produce abundant clean energy. Yet, overcoming the barriers of access – with the need to drill deep into the Earth’s surface – has deterred many companies from investing in geothermal projects. Yet, both the EU and the U.S. Department of Energy (DoE) have highlighted the significant potential for geothermal energy in supporting a transition to green. Now, French automaker Renault has announced it is betting big on the power source, but will others follow in its footsteps?

The EU has established an Implementation Working Group for deep geothermal (DG working group) to encourage greater investigation into geothermal energy in Europe, and to provide a clean heating and electricity source. The DG working group is overseeing the rollout of the Deep geothermal implementation plan (IP). DG believes that establishing a geothermal energy industry in Europe will support the achievement of the European Green Deal and the Horizon Europe goals, with a switch from fossil fuels to geothermal expected to help decarbonise up to 25 percent of the region’s energy needs. It is also thought that with the existing technology, 25 percent of the European population can cost-effectively deploy geothermal heating.

European Commission (EC) research showed that geothermal energy could help Europe in its aim to become the first carbon-neutral continent by 2050. Geothermal energy is expected to contribute to Europe’s green energy mix, supporting modernised district and communal heating systems and helping achieve the EU’s 2022 REPowerEU Plan targets. The development of a geothermal industry is also expected to help advance other renewable energy operations, with the potential for mineral extraction from geothermal fluids to enable sustainable lithium production. Therefore, the EC is supporting several research projects into geothermal energy innovations that will help with Europe’s green transition. 

Geothermal energy is generated by accessing underground heat pockets by drilling down into the surface of the Earth. Thermal energy can be accessed in the rocks and water just a few miles underground by drilling into underground reservoirs to tap into geothermal sources. The heat can then drive turbines for electricity production. 

Some projects have already been rolled out. For example, Croatia, which sits on top of an area of land with strong geothermal potential, has developed a geothermal plant, which stands out in the landscape due to its resemblance to a flying saucer. The hope is to establish a 24-hour supply of energy for a carbon-free electricity grid, providing the green print for future projects in neighbouring Austria, Hungary, and Serbia.

Marijan Krpan, the CEO of the Croatian Hydrocarbon Agency stated “There is a huge potential to generate a lot of electricity out of this. There is a huge potential for district heating. And there is a huge potential for agriculture.” However, despite the growing interest in geothermal energy, it is still little talked about at the international level, with most governments and energy firms continuing to invest heavily in wind and solar power. But this might be set to change.

In November, the automaker Renault announced it would be partnering with French utility Engie for the next 15 years to develop and run a geothermal project at its Douai facility. Drilling operations are expected to commence in 2023, with plans to extract hot water at a depth of 4,000 meters. The work is expected to meet the industrial and heating process needs by as early as 2025, with water temperatures between 130 and 140oC. Renault stated that “once implemented, this geothermal technology would provide a power of nearly 40 MW continuously.” In addition, “In summer, when the need for heat is lower, geothermal energy could be used to produce carbon-free electricity,” it added.

But will this encourage other companies to follow in its footsteps? The once little-talked-about energy source is gradually gaining traction, especially as major political powers such as the EU and the U.S. provide funding for innovative geothermal solutions. But it may require a greater number of major private energy, automotive, and industry players to publicly make the move for others to understand the potential of geothermal and invest in this green energy source.