Fraunhofer Research Institution for Energy Infrastructures and Geotechnologies IEG
The southern Rhineland is currently closing the chapter on opencast lignite mining. Deep geothermal energy could be the next chapter for the energy regions on both sides of the Rhine. This regional heat source could become a building block for municipal heat planning, for municipal utilities and for energy-intensive industry, thus triggering new business models in structural change.
The research platform "Fraunhofer Field Scale Laboratory for Geothermal Energy Rhineland" is used for the scientific investigation of hydrothermal geothermal energy in the Rhineland through initially two deep research boreholes and large-scale geophysical exploration of the subsurface in conjunction with a stationary observatory in Weisweiler. The technical centre in Weisweiler is a research center for georesources and decarbonization that combines applied research into the subsurface with innovative methods and energy technology for the economically, ecologically and socially sustainable transformation of the coal region.
For the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, the project is an important step in the implementation of the Geothermal Energy Master Plan. The "Fraunhofer Field Scale Laboratory" can make a decisive contribution to the ramp-up of geothermal energy in NRW. The seismic measurements and deep boreholes provide important basic data for subsequent projects by heat suppliers. The findings on the geological conditions are made available free of charge as raw data and explained in the form of guidelines and workshops. If the exploration results are positive, people, municipalities and companies in the region will have the opportunity to tap into a cost-effective and regional source of heat - deep geothermal energy.
Together with its partners from research and industry, Fraunhofer IEG wants to bring innovations to the European regions undergoing structural change and enable the transformation "from coal mining to heat mining". The new research infrastructure is available to other partners in science and also to stakeholders in industry and local authorities. The technologies tested in the "Fraunhofer Field Scale Laboratory" will provide energy suppliers with the necessary tools to integrate geothermal energy into the energy system of the future.
