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Sustainable Geothermal Energy
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Sustainable Geothermal Energy

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Energy Sustainability".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (18 September 2022) | Viewed by 15283

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Lorenzo Talluri

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Florence, 50134 Florence, Italy
Interests: energy engineering; engineering thermodynamics; thermal engineering; fluid dynamics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Fausto Batini

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Geothermal Energy Consulting s.r.l., 56045 Montecerboli, Italy
Interests: geothermal energy; resource assessment; drilling; environmental monitoring; risk assessment

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

One of the long-term goals of the European Union is to reach climate neutrality by 2050. This objective, coupled with the Paris Agreement target (limiting global warming below 2°C), favors the development of new innovative technologies for the exploitation of renewable energies.

Among renewables, geothermal energy has the advantage of having the highest resource availability, not depending on weather conditions. Geothermal energy systems exploit the heat content of the Earth’s interior, as the Earth is slowly cooling down. The total global output of the Earth’s heat flow is over 4x1013 W, which is four times higher than the actual energy consumption; however, only a small part of this heat flux can be exploited.

Geothermal power plants can be categorized into shallow geothermal and deep geothermal. Shallow geothermal power plants exploit low temperature heat sources at the surface, with a maximum of well drilling in the range of 250 m, and are suitable for low temperature heat generation. Deep geothermal power plants, by contrast, are considered when wells are drilled deep, from 1 to 5 km within the Earth, or even deeper with the newest drilling technologies. Deep geothermal exploration allows reaching higher temperatures, which enables the conversion of geothermal heat in electricity.

Geothermal energy can therefore be exploited for the production of electricity, heating, and cooling. This multiscope characteristic enhances its prospective of utilization in the direction of a clean, sustainable future. Furthermore, geothermal power production is yet to be fully exploited, and new technologies, such as EGS, “closed-loop” total reinjection power plants, cutting edge resources such as supercritical, magmatic, geopressured, off-shore, and heat storage integrated in the circular economy, are under investigation.

The sustainability of geothermal energy therefore becomes a pivotal objective in relation to the meeting of the expected climate goals. Shallow and deep geothermal exploitation could both play an important role in the reduction of greenhouse gas emission and environmental pollution. In addition, the coupling of a smart energy strategy with a possible utilization of subsurface energy storage is bound to boost the green energy scenario. Indeed, geothermal energy is not present only in Europe or only in developed countries, but there are several places where it can be exploited, especially in many developing countries.

The purpose of this Special Issue is therefore to collect recent state-of-the-art research and review articles on sustainable geothermal energy systems. The topics of interest include but are not limited to:

  1. “Closed-loop” total reinjection—zero emissions power plants;
  2. Emission reduction from existing geothermal power plants;
  3. Life cycle assessment of geothermal power plants;
  4. Smart storage geothermal solutions;
  5. Sustainable geothermal systems;
  6. Integration of new technologies for geothermal enhancement;
  7. Toward a 100% renewable energy scenario, the role of geothermal energy;
  8. Shallow geothermal applications, a way to decrease global emissions.

Dr. Lorenzo Talluri
Dr. Fausto Batini
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • renewable energy
  • zero emission
  • geothermal power
  • total reinjection
  • innovative power plants
  • binary cycle
  • ORC
  • CO2
  • cogeneration
  • heat recovery
  • storage
  • trigeneration
  • abatement systems
  • smart energy storage
  • sustainable energy
  • LCA

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

20 pages, 6134 KiB  
Article
Techno-Economic Assessment of the Supercritical Carbon Dioxide Enhanced Geothermal Systems
by Mauro Tagliaferri, Paweł Gładysz, Pietro Ungar, Magdalena Strojny, Lorenzo Talluri, Daniele Fiaschi, Giampaolo Manfrida, Trond Andresen and Anna Sowiżdżał
Sustainability 2022, 14(24), 16580; https://doi.org/10.3390/su142416580 - 10 Dec 2022
Cited by 13 | Viewed by 2526
Abstract
Enhanced geothermal systems distinguish themselves among other technologies that utilize renewable energy sources by their possibility of the partial sequestration of carbon dioxide (CO2). Thus, CO2 in its supercritical form in such units may be considered as better working fluid [...] Read more.
Enhanced geothermal systems distinguish themselves among other technologies that utilize renewable energy sources by their possibility of the partial sequestration of carbon dioxide (CO2). Thus, CO2 in its supercritical form in such units may be considered as better working fluid for heat transfer than conventionally used water. The main goal of the study was to perform the techno-economic analysis of different configurations of supercritical carbon dioxide-enhanced geothermal systems (sCO2-EGSs). The energy performance as well as economic evaluation including heat and power generation, capital and operational expenditures, and levelized cost of electricity and heat were investigated based on the results of mathematical modeling and process simulations. The results indicated that sCO2 mass flow rates and injection temperature have a significant impact on energetic results and also cost estimation. In relation to financial assessment, the highest levelized cost of electricity was obtained for the indirect sCO2 cycle (219.5 EUR/MWh) mainly due to the lower electricity production (in comparison with systems using Organic Rankine Cycle) and high investment costs. Both energy and economic assessments in this study provide a systematic approach to compare the sCO2-EGS variants. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Geothermal Energy)
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24 pages, 5301 KiB  
Article
A Model Proposal for Occupational Health and Safety Performance Measurement in Geothermal Drilling Areas
by Şebnem Karul Tonka and Ismail Ekmekci
Sustainability 2022, 14(23), 15669; https://doi.org/10.3390/su142315669 - 24 Nov 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2284
Abstract
The energy sources required for general development and maintenance cause environmental pollution due to the carbon emissions released into the atmosphere. For these reasons, countries have turned to renewable energy sources. Energy production methods also cause serious problems in terms of the health [...] Read more.
The energy sources required for general development and maintenance cause environmental pollution due to the carbon emissions released into the atmosphere. For these reasons, countries have turned to renewable energy sources. Energy production methods also cause serious problems in terms of the health and safety of employees. This study aimed to create an occupational health and safety performance model in geothermal energy fields, which generate renewable energy sources, using multi-criteria decision-making methods. A two-stage model was created for OHS performance index measurement. In the first stage, a literature screening was performed, risk analysis criteria were examined, and performance measurement criteria were determined with geophysical engineers and OHS experts. Seven main criteria and forty-seven subcriteria were set. An analytical hierarchy process method (AHP) and a fuzzy analytical hierarchy process (F-AHP) using the main criteria and subcriteria were determined. In the second stage, exposure rates were obtained using the Promethee method in three geothermal wells. The risks in these three wells are listed according to their importance. A performance model was created. The Results section includes conclusions and suggestions. This study, by creating an OHS performance model, can be used by managers and OHS professionals working in geothermal energy production fields to solve problems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Geothermal Energy)
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11 pages, 532 KiB  
Communication
How Far Is Far Enough? The Social Constitution of Geothermal Energy through Spacing Regulations
by Daniel Horn, Matthias Gross, Maria Pfeiffer and Marco Sonnberger
Sustainability 2022, 14(1), 496; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14010496 - 4 Jan 2022
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2583
Abstract
This article argues that the sociotechnical context in which near-surface geothermal energy is embedded draws out its characteristic of being temporarily depletable. Thereby, the minimization of unavoidable side effects, such as cold plumes, which result from the social constitution of geothermal energy, is [...] Read more.
This article argues that the sociotechnical context in which near-surface geothermal energy is embedded draws out its characteristic of being temporarily depletable. Thereby, the minimization of unavoidable side effects, such as cold plumes, which result from the social constitution of geothermal energy, is a crucial area of consideration. Using the situation in Germany as a touchstone, we discuss how cold plumes and interferences from neighboring ground source heat pumps test the limits of the existing regulatory framework, requiring negotiations between different knowledge sets stemming from areas as diverse as planning law, geology, cultural habits, and engineering. This makes the operation of geothermal energy highly uncertain and continuous negotiations on sustainable modes of extractions a pressing issue. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Geothermal Energy)
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19 pages, 3540 KiB  
Article
Different Geothermal Power Cycle Configurations Cost Estimation Models
by Moein Shamoushaki, Giampaolo Manfrida, Lorenzo Talluri, Pouriya H. Niknam and Daniele Fiaschi
Sustainability 2021, 13(20), 11133; https://doi.org/10.3390/su132011133 - 9 Oct 2021
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2810
Abstract
An economic assessment of different geothermal power cycle configurations to generate cost models is conducted in this study. The thermodynamic and exergoeconomic modeling of the cycles is performed in MATLAB coupled to Refprop. The models were derived based on robust multivariable regression to [...] Read more.
An economic assessment of different geothermal power cycle configurations to generate cost models is conducted in this study. The thermodynamic and exergoeconomic modeling of the cycles is performed in MATLAB coupled to Refprop. The models were derived based on robust multivariable regression to minimize the residuals by using the genetic algorithm. The cross-validation approach is applied to determine a dataset to examine the model in the training phase for validation and reduce the overfitting problem. The generated cost models are the total cost rate, the plant’s total cost, and power generation cost. The cost models and the relevant coefficients are generated based on the most compatibilities and lower error. The results showed that one of the most influential factors on the ORC cycle is the working fluid type, which significantly affects the final economic results. Other parameters that considerably impact economic models results, of all configurations, are geothermal fluid pressure and temperature and inlet pressure of turbine. Rising the geothermal fluid mass flow rate has a remarkable impact on cost models as the capacity and size of equipment increases. The generated cost models in this study can estimate the mentioned cost parameters with an acceptable deviation and provide a fast way to predict the total cost of the power plants. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Geothermal Energy)
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13 pages, 11638 KiB  
Article
A Comparison of Different Approaches for Assessing Energy Outputs of Combined Heat and Power Geothermal Plants
by Daniele Fiaschi, Giampaolo Manfrida, Barbara Mendecka, Lorenzo Tosti and Maria Laura Parisi
Sustainability 2021, 13(8), 4527; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13084527 - 19 Apr 2021
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2373
Abstract
In this paper, we assess using two alternative allocation schemes, namely exergy and primary energy saving (PES) to compare products generated in different combined heat and power (CHP) geothermal systems. In particular, the adequacy and feasibility of the schemes recommended for allocation are [...] Read more.
In this paper, we assess using two alternative allocation schemes, namely exergy and primary energy saving (PES) to compare products generated in different combined heat and power (CHP) geothermal systems. In particular, the adequacy and feasibility of the schemes recommended for allocation are demonstrated by their application to three relevant and significantly different case studies of geothermal CHPs, i.e., (1) Chiusdino in Italy, (2) Altheim in Austria, and (3) Hellisheidi in Iceland. The results showed that, given the generally low temperature level of the cogenerated heat (80–100 °C, usually exploited in district heating), the use of exergy allocation largely marginalizes the importance of the heat byproduct, thus, becoming almost equivalent to electricity for the Chiusdino and Hellisheidi power plants. Therefore, the PES scheme is found to be the more appropriate allocation scheme. Additionally, the exergy scheme is mandatory for allocating power plants’ environmental impacts at a component level in CHP systems. The main drawback of the PES scheme is its country dependency due to the different fuels used, but reasonable and representative values can be achieved based on average EU heat and power generation efficiencies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Geothermal Energy)
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