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INTEGRATING GEOTHERMAL ENERGY INTO THE BUILDING SECTOR |
Public service |
BRGM, in partnership with ADEME, national, regional and local bodies, and industrial groups in the energy field, is involved in accompanying and support activities for the development of geothermal energy in France , an approach that is reinforced up by an increasingly favourable legislative and regulatory context. Activities in this field mainly concern the two sectors of "heat production", i.e. supplying district heating networks using deep resources and heat pump systems using shallow resources. Several types of action, mostly in close partnership with ADEME, are undertaken in this domain to incite the development and structuring of these sectors. |
The actions concern, for example:
• the promotion of geothermal heat pumps and of geothermal energy in general;
• accompanying the regions in their geothermal heat development policy, particularly by compiling inventories of aquifer potential for groundwater-source geothermal heat pumps or updating existing inventories in light of the new technologies;
• accompanying professionals;
• technical support for stimulating low-temperature geothermal energy for heating networks. |
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| Communication and promotion of the sector |
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BRGM provides the public at large with general and technical information on geothermal energy.
For this, it relies on:
• CITEG (Centre d'information Technique sur l'Energie géothermique; Technical Information Centre for Geothermal Energy ), which is integrated within the Geothermal Energy Department, in partnership with ADEME,
• its Regional Geological Surveys who receive the public,
• and local partners such as the Regional Councils, producers of electricity (EDF, GDF) and the EIE (espaces info energies; Energy Information Centres). |
• The ADEME-BRGM institutional site
Put on line in 2005, it responds to the need of reaching a varied public ( from the private individual to the professional ) through providing not only a place of information and exchange, but also a guide to all types of project associated with geothermal energy. It currently registers more than 900 visits per day, mainly from private individuals, but also increasingly from specialized consulting firms, public contracting bodies (regional and local authorities) and professionals in scientific communication and popularization (journalists, associations, etc.). |
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• The CITEG information letter
It aims to provide validated and updated information concerning all branches of geothermal science from all countries . The information also touches upon the social, political and technical aspects of geothermal energy, as well as on fossil fuels and other renewable energies (with respect to their consequences on geothermal energy), both in France and abroad. The letter is also a vehicle for providing information on current ventures, projects and research, for valorizing the information held by ADEME and BRGM, and for updating the CITEG reference database. It is distributed in electronic format to the players (national, regional, etc.) responsible for the energy problem (ADEME, the ARENEs [Regional Agencies for the Environmùent and New Energies], etc.). |
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• The Information Bulletin on geothermal energy in France
Its creation results from the realisation that there was a deficit of information on the geothermal sector in the Ile-de France (IDF) region, despite the region's high potential. It is published in partnership with ADEME (IDF) and the ARENE (IDF), with the participation of the DRIRE (IDF) and AGéMO ( Association of Contracting Authorities in Geothermal Energy ), and appears about three times a year. Its main objectives are to:
- pass on information adapted to the specificities of geothermal energy in Ile-de-France (foremost region of France where geothermal energy is concerned),
- help establish direct links between the players of the geothermal sector. It is distributed by post to more than 1200 players in the geothermal energy sector of Ile-de-France. |
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| Development of regional dynamics |
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Mobilising local players is an essential factor for developing the geothermal heat pump industry. The main partners for this are ADEME and local authorities, beginning with the Régions . The ADEME- Région project contracts generally provide subsidies for geothermal projects. BRGM helps the regions to define development strategies for this subsector, based in particular on marrying needs to mobilisable resources.
The "Aquifer Potential Geographic Information System" tools developed in several regions enable identification of potential targets for groundwater-source geothermal heat pump technology.
Map of the regional GIS |
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Support for structuring the geothermal
heat pump sector |
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| Comparing the French situation with that of other European countries clearly reveals that the lack of a quality offer for geothermal heat pumps is a curb on this sector's development. BRGM, with ADEME, helps respond to this situation through actions such as: |
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• stimulating a quality approach for the drillers of geothermal wells.
The geothermal solution of heat pumps using buried vertical probes as a cooling source appears to be effective from both the technical and environmental standpoints. It is very wide developed in countries such as Sweden, Germany, Switzerland (a country where one out of every two new houses is equipped with this type of buried heat exchanger). |
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EDF ( French Electricity Board ) has launched a quality commitment approach for drilling companies that install close vertical loop, cooling sources for geothermal heat pumps. ADEME and BRGM are both associated in this, with BRGM being responsible, since the beginning of 2002, for the technical management of this approach. The aim is, through technical training and supervision, to accompany the development of the market for close vertical loop related heat pumps so as to avoid technical problems that could hinder its expansion. By the end of 2006, more than 60 drilling companies had joined this voluntary commitment.
>> more information |
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• training
In the context of their training projects, ADEME and BRGM provide a training module devoted to mounting geothermal heat pump projects related to groundwater sources or to a geothermal probe field for low-cost council flats and residential blocks. This course is aimed at property developers, technical departments, consulting firms, etc.
For information and enrolment, please contact:
BRGM Formation
Course c ode: GTH01-08 - Duration: 3 days
Dates and place (indicative):
11-12-13 March at Marseilles
24-25-26 June at Nantes
21-22-23 October at Orléans
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• organization of technical days |
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BRGM also participes with various national bodies, and in particular with the AQUAPAC ® committees, in promoting the development of geothermal energy. The AQUAPAC ® warranty, created by ADEME, BRGM and EDF, provides financial coverage of the geological risks related to exploiting the energy of an aquifer resource located at generally less than 100 m depth, and then of maintaining its capacities with time.
BRGM is also a member of the Governing Board of AFPAC (Association Française pour les Pompes à Chaleur; French Association for Heat Pumps ) which aims at promoting the heat pump technique (residential sector) and ensures the coordination and management of scientific and technical exchanges between its various members. |
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| Technical support for stimulating low-enthalpy geothermal energy for heating networks |
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The contracting authorities of the Ile-de-France district heating networks have mentioned to ADEME and BRGM their need, in order to help stimulate geothermal energy for district heating, of a resource centre capable of dealing with the collective technical problems that face the contracting authorities and the operators. The problems can vary enormously and involve sustainable resource management, performance optimization, fluids management (corrosion, scaling, etc.), technical-economic and legal problems, etc. BRGM, with ADEME's agreement, has offered to organize this resource centre based on its own experience and through organizing recourse to outside skills when necessary.
BRGM has also been responsible, since the end of 2001, for the " Dogger management " project. The aim here is to provide the relevant authorities with elements and methods for a better assessment of the consequences of using the Dogger's geothermal energy, in particular concerning the re-injection of the fluid back into the Dogger once its heat has been extracted. One important result of this project has been the optimization of the aquifer model. The work has also led to the construction of a database from the collection and validation of data obtained from the operators.
(Partners: ADEME, ARENE Ile-de-France, DRIRE Ile-de-France, CFG Services, GPC) |
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