法國著名汽車制造商雷諾公司(Renault)與法國公用事業(yè)公司Engie合作在法國杜埃市開發(fā)地?zé)崮茼椖?/strong>

歐盟委員會的研究表明，地?zé)崮芸梢詭椭鷼W洲實現(xiàn)到2050年前成為首個碳中和大陸的目標(biāo)

地?zé)崮艿玫搅苏嗟年P(guān)注，但私人投資者積極性卻落后了

據(jù)油價網(wǎng)2022年12月3日報道，由于世界各國政府鼓勵在風(fēng)能和太陽能以外的可再生能源領(lǐng)域進(jìn)行更大的創(chuàng)新，以及大量的融資機會，長期被忽視的替代綠色能源正在全球各地涌現(xiàn)。盡管幾十年來人們對各種可再生能源都有了解，但大多數(shù)國家都專注于最容易生產(chǎn)的低成本能源。但是許多替代能源的潛力是巨大的，需要更多的研究和開發(fā)來建立卓有成效的運作。 

其中一種能源就是地?zé)崮埽責(zé)崮芫哂欣玫厍驘崃可a(chǎn)豐富清潔能源的潛力。 然而，克服獲取地?zé)崮艿恼系K——需要鉆到地球表面深處——阻止了許多公司投資地?zé)崮茼椖俊２贿^，歐盟和美國能源部(DoE)都強調(diào)了地?zé)崮茉谥С窒蚓G色能源轉(zhuǎn)型方面的巨大潛力。現(xiàn)在，法國著名汽車制造商雷諾公司(Renault)宣布在這種能源上押下重金，但其他公司會追隨雷諾公司的腳步嗎? 

歐盟已經(jīng)為深層地?zé)崮艹闪⒘艘粋€實施工作組(DG工作組)，以鼓勵歐洲對地?zé)崮苓M(jìn)行更多的研究，并提供一種清潔的供暖和電力來源。DG工作組正在監(jiān)督深層地?zé)崮軐嵤┯媱?IP)的實施。DG工作組認(rèn)為，在歐洲建立地?zé)崮墚a(chǎn)業(yè)將有助于實現(xiàn)《歐洲綠色協(xié)議》和《地平線歐洲》的目標(biāo)，從化石燃料轉(zhuǎn)向地?zé)崮苡型麕椭摰貐^(qū)脫碳25%的能源需求。人們還認(rèn)為，利用現(xiàn)有的技術(shù)，25%的歐洲人口可以經(jīng)濟(jì)有效地使用地?zé)崮芄┡? 

歐盟委員會的研究表明，地?zé)崮芸梢詭椭鷼W洲實現(xiàn)到2050年前成為首個碳中和大陸的目標(biāo)。地?zé)崮苡型麨闅W洲的綠色能源結(jié)構(gòu)作出貢獻(xiàn)，支持現(xiàn)代化的區(qū)域和公共供暖系統(tǒng)，并幫助實現(xiàn)歐盟2022年REPowerEU能源計劃的目標(biāo)。地?zé)峁I(yè)的發(fā)展預(yù)計還將有助于推進(jìn)其他可再生能源業(yè)務(wù)，因為從地?zé)崃黧w中提取礦物有可能實現(xiàn)可持續(xù)的鋰生產(chǎn)。因此，歐盟委員會正在支持幾個地?zé)崮軇?chuàng)新的研究項目，這將有助于歐洲的綠色能源轉(zhuǎn)型。

地?zé)崮苁峭ㄟ^鉆到地球表面進(jìn)入地下熱袋而產(chǎn)生的。在地下幾英里的巖石和水中，通過鉆到地下儲水層來獲取地?zé)豳Y源，就可以獲得熱量。這些熱量可以驅(qū)動渦輪機發(fā)電。

一些項目已經(jīng)推出。例如，坐落在一個很強地?zé)釢摿ν恋厣系目肆_地亞已經(jīng)開發(fā)了一個地?zé)峁S，由于它外觀與飛碟相似，這個地?zé)峁S在景觀中脫穎而出。克羅地亞希望建立一個24小時無碳供電的電網(wǎng)，為鄰國奧地利、匈牙利和塞爾維亞的未來項目提供綠色電力。

克羅地亞碳?xì)浠衔餀C構(gòu)首席執(zhí)行官Marijan Krpan表示：“從中產(chǎn)生大量電力的潛力巨大。集中供暖有巨大的潛力。農(nóng)業(yè)也有巨大的潛力。”然而，盡管人們對地?zé)崮艿呐d趣日益濃厚，但在國際層面上它仍然很少被提及，大多數(shù)政府和能源公司繼續(xù)在風(fēng)能和太陽能發(fā)電上大舉投資。但這種情況今后有可能會改變。 

今年11月份，法國著名汽車制造商雷諾公司宣布將與法國公用事業(yè)公司Engie合作，在未來15年里在法國杜埃市的設(shè)施開發(fā)和運行一個地?zé)崮茼椖俊ｃ@探作業(yè)預(yù)計將在2023年開始，計劃在4000米深處抽取熱水。鉆探作業(yè)預(yù)計最早將在2025年滿足工業(yè)和供暖過程的需求，水溫將在130到140攝氏度之間。雷諾公司表示：“一旦實施，這種地?zé)崮芗夹g(shù)將持續(xù)提供近40兆瓦的電力。”此外，“在夏季，當(dāng)對熱量的需求較低時，地?zé)崮芸梢杂脕砩a(chǎn)無碳電力”，雷諾公司補充道。

但這是否會鼓勵其他公司追隨雷諾公司的腳步? 這種曾經(jīng)很少被提及的能源正逐漸獲得關(guān)注，特別是為創(chuàng)新的地?zé)崮芙鉀Q方案提供資金的歐盟和美國等主要政治大國。但這可能需要更多的主要私人能源、汽車和工業(yè)參與者公開采取行動，讓其他人了解地?zé)崮艿臐摿Γ⑼顿Y于這種綠色能源。 

李峻 編譯自 油價網(wǎng)

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.