The second exceptional nominee for the Ruggero Bertani European Geothermal Innovation Awards 2021 is the “Multidrains boreholes in France: an innovative design for deep geothermal development”. This project, developed by ENGIE Solutions and built with Antea Group and other partners, can almost double the productivity of a geothermal reservoir.
The multidrains technology has been designed for a new geothermal district heating network in Velizy-Villacoublay, a Paris Basin’s municipality eager to cover more than 60% of the heat demand with renewables.
The old network was using 100% fossil energy while there was a geothermal reservoir under the inhabitants’ feet. However, this specific area does not have optimal geological properties, showing limited transmissivity and temperature. The challenge was to find a way to produce enough energy to cover the needs of the area, while keeping the project economically viable.
This is why the innovative borehole was designed. The multidrains is a technical leap, which allows to cross multiple times a geothermal reservoir. This is the first time that this method, already used in Oil & Gas, has been employed in a deep geothermal project. This configuration maximizes the exchange surface and therefore increases the general flowrate of +80% compared to a conventional doublet. This allows the geothermal plant to provide much more power.
As from 2021, this new geothermal district heating network in Velizy-Villacoublay will cover 60% of the heat demand over the next 28 years. This means satisfying the heating needs of 12,000 houses, and saving 22,800 tons of CO2 per year compared to a gas solution. This project can be easily replicated in municipalities all over Europe and many areas with lower geothermal potential due to poor reservoir quality become new potential targets thanks to this technology. The potential of this technology to reduce emissions in the coming years is massive, considering how untapped geothermal energy still is.
The winner of this year edition will be announced in Spring 2021.
Discover the six finalists of the Ruggero Bertani European Geothermal Innovation Award 2021.
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