GTK offers customised expert services for planning the production of geothermal heating and cooling energy. Achieving a long-lasting and efficient geothermal energy system requires careful production planning and consideration of the local geological conditions. The system is monitored to detect any changes in its operation or use, which, in turn, allows for the optimisation of the system.
Geothermal energy can be used for heating and cooling buildings and networks. The heat source is typically bedrock, from which heat is collected using borehole heat exchangers and heat pumps. Other heat sources are also used, such as water bodies, groundwater (groundwater energy) and soft soils (energy pile solutions). Moreover, geothermal energy may also be included in hybrid solutions for different energy production systems, which are tailored specifically for each site. In geothermal energy solutions, seasonal thermal energy storage can often be implemented by, for example, enabling winter-time use of the heat stored in a borehole field in the summer.
Creating a long-lasting and efficient system requires careful planning of the geothermal energy production and consideration of the geological conditions.
GTK offers customised expert services for the planning and monitoring of different geothermal energy solutions.
Our expertise is focused on measuring the properties of boreholes of different depths (heat wells / geothermal wells), assessing production amounts, and simulation of operations. The methods we use enable the design of both shallow (<500 m), medium-deep (500–3,000 m), and deep (3,000–8,000 m) geothermal energy solutions and borehole fields.
The local properties of the soil and bedrock play an important role in geothermal energy production and related sustainability. Therefore, it is important to examine and consider these properties in the design and dimensioning of the system. Modelling is used to simulate the operation of borehole heat exchangers of different depths during the upcoming operating years, with the aim of producing a durable and long-lasting solution. Furthermore, modelling can also be used to study the effects that the heat outtake of an borehole field or a medium-deep well have on, for example, a neighbouring plot, in order to draw up a so-called energy sufficiency calculation.
The operation and use of a geothermal energy system is optimised and enhanced through monitoring. GTK has developed a cost-effective method for the long-term monitoring of temperatures in borehole heat exchangers and borehole fields based on optical fibre cables and the Distributed Temperature Sensing (DTS) method. Continuous monitoring is carried out with equipment permanently installed at the site. In other cases, separate equipment can also be used for periodic monitoring.
The monitoring of an borehole field reveals, for example, the effects of abnormal energy outtake on the temperatures and durability of the borehole field. Furthermore, the monitoring method can be used to examine the condition of existing borehole heat exchanger fields. By combining the temperature data obtained through monitoring with data on the simulated operation of the borehole field, we can detect potential needs for changes in the heating and cooling leads of the system. In essence, the method allows us to optimise the operation of the geothermal energy system and ensure its efficiency and longevity.
Geothermal energy can be used to produce low-carbon energy for cooling and heating, thus reducing the need for combustion-based forms of energy and promoting the national and regional climate objectives.
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