Impacts of Shallow Geothermal Energy on Groundwater Quality

Geothermal Energy / Economics

Date posted: 07/31/14

In 2013, Matthijs, of the Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam, published a hydrochemical and geomicrobial study of the effects of ground-source heat pumps and aquifer-thermal energy storage. Shallow geothermal energy (SGE) systems use the subsurface as a source for thermal energy or as a medium to store seasonal heat. These systems provide heating and cooling in the built environment, and are considered to be a technology that can contribute to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. The reduction of greenhouse gas emission by SGE systems strongly depends on the source of electricity used in the system. The potential CO2 emission reduction at full market penetration is estimated to be around 30 percent compared to conventional heating and cooling systems, for a selection of 19 EU countries for the current (mainly fossil fueled) electricity mix. This figure is expected to increase in the future with both the fraction of renewables in the electricity mix and the efficiency of heat pumps increasing. Generally, two types of SGE systems are discerned: open and closed systems.