The city of Offenbach am Main benefits from a geothermal heating project of the Hessian State Energy Agency. As in other municipalities, test drilling is planned for the future development area Bieber-Waldhof West from 2 to 7 December. Drilling is underway on a municipal property between Goldbergstrasse and Würzburger Strasse. With around 20 wells throughout Hesse, the state is exploring the potential for geothermal energy in the region. With the data obtained, geothermal systems for private, municipal and commercial buildings can be planned more reliably.
The well, up to 100 meters deep, can be used in the future residential area. “The data obtained by the state is a good opportunity for us to use the survey results in Bieber, in Waldhof and especially in the new construction area. The state makes the data collected there available and this is the basis for deciding whether the geothermal energy makes sense there. We will check whether the entire area can be heated in this way,” explains Paul-Gerhard Weiß, head of the construction department.
Geothermal energy extracted from geothermal probes can be used to heat and cool buildings. For this purpose, heat pumps are used in buildings, which increase the heat extracted from the earth and thus heat or cool in summer. For every kilowatt hour of electricity that the heat pump needs, up to six kilowatt hours of heat are generated.
What is geothermal energy?
The heat stored within the earth, also known as geothermal energy, can be used to heat and cool buildings, heat water, and generate electricity. The heat comes from the center of the earth. According to current knowledge, it is hotter than 5,000 degrees Celsius there. The temperature in the ground increases with increasing depth: in Germany about three degrees Celsius per 100 meters. If heat from a depth of up to 400 meters is used, this is referred to as surface geothermal energy. It differs from deep geothermal energy, which penetrates several kilometers into the earth.
The heat of the earth’s interior is practically inexhaustible. Geothermal energy is therefore one of the renewable energies. The use of geothermal energy to heat and cool buildings is sustainable and efficient all year round. The state government is therefore promoting its use.
The test drilling project was developed by HLNUG and started in 2019 with a pilot phase. Since 2020, the project has been implemented jointly by LEA Hessen and HLNUG. A total of 20 exploratory drillings will be carried out in 2021/2022. The client is the Hessian Ministry of Economic Affairs, Energy, Transport and Buildings (HMWEVW).
Further information
www.lea-hessen.de/kommunen/geothermie-potential-erkunden
https://www.lea-hessen.de/mediathek/publikationen/3523
https://www.lea-hessen.de/buergerinnen-und-buerger/geothermie-nutzen/
(Text: PM Municipality of Offenbach)
