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Hoping for geothermal expansion: New heat pump increases energy output

2022-06-14T11:22:02.679Z


Hoping for geothermal expansion: New heat pump increases energy output Created: 06/14/2022, 13:12 By: Charlotte Borst Thomas Stockerl, Chairman of the GTU, in the energy center (archive photo) © Gerald Förtsch Geothermie Unterschleißheim has announced further expansion plans. You are currently experiencing “an enormous demand”. A heat pump is installed to increase the supply value. Unterschle


Hoping for geothermal expansion: New heat pump increases energy output

Created: 06/14/2022, 13:12

By: Charlotte Borst

Thomas Stockerl, Chairman of the GTU, in the energy center (archive photo) © Gerald Förtsch

Geothermie Unterschleißheim has announced further expansion plans.

You are currently experiencing “an enormous demand”.

A heat pump is installed to increase the supply value.

Unterschleißheim

– The interest of the citizens in geothermal energy is immense.

Many are looking for alternatives to oil or gas to counteract climate change and reduce dependence on fossil energy imports.

CSU district councilor Rolf Zeitler also feels this.

"I would like to have a connection myself," said the former mayor of Unterschleißheim recently during a discussion in the district council's energy committee, "but I still don't have a chance.

Although Unterschleißheim was the first municipality in the district to have a geothermal project.”

In 2003, the future project was tackled during Zeitler's tenure and since 2005 the municipal geothermal company GTU has been promoting thermal water with a temperature of 78 degrees Celsius.

GTU has connected around 31 percent of all 13,500 private households to the district heating network, as well as many commercial and municipal properties.

But Zeitler is one of those who are still waiting in the small-structured Lohhof-Süd.

"We should approach the expansion progressively despite the high costs," he said.

“There is still a lot of energy in it”

In fact, the GTU has announced further steps.

GTU board member Thomas Stockerl, who has accompanied the project from the start, is currently experiencing "an enormous demand".

In order to further increase the supply value, GTU first installs an absorption heat pump.

With this technology, after the first heat extraction, the existing residual heat of the thermal water of 55 degrees in winter and 70 degrees in summer is used and fed in a second time.

"There's still a lot of energy in it," says Stockerl.

The supply value of currently around 39 megawatts can thus be increased to around 60 megawatts.

At around 65 megawatts, however, the maximum load has finally been reached, and it will then be more than twice as much as originally planned in 2003.


GTU has planned investments of 14.5 million euros for the heat pump and the medium to long-term expansion of the network, of which 6.5 million will go to the new energy center with heat pump and eight million to the expansion of the network.

Because every meter of a main line currently costs around 1,900 euros net, also due to the shortage of materials.

Since the project has to run economically, it is reaching its limits despite all the opportunities and expected subsidies: “We will not develop the entire city area.

Unterschleißheim is too big for that,” explains Stockerl.

In a study, the GTU also had the feasibility of a second production well examined.

However, the high cost would only result in an additional energy of 7.5 to 8 megawatts.

So for the time being, the heat pump is more effective and economical.


Waiting for federal funding

Meanwhile, the expansion of the heating network continues.

The fire brigade is currently being connected via a new route and on the way the elementary school on Ganghoferstraße and the new Caritas after-school care center.

Another route will be laid to Carl-von-Linde-Strasse.

The GTU has also declared its intention to supply the planned multi-generational campus.

"The line would run through Lohhof-Süd," says Stockerl.

The former mayor, who would rather switch to geothermal energy today than tomorrow, would be happy about this, along with many others.


But there is movement nationwide.

The geothermal industry is waiting every day for the start of federal funding for “effective heating networks”.

Everyone wants to bring their project into play when funding pots are opened.

"Our applications are already prepared in the drawer," assures Stockerl.

More news from Unterschleißheim and the district of Munich can be found here.

Source: merkur

All news articles on 2022-06-14

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