Pilot area activities – #5 Geothermal data analysis in Aarhus, Denmark

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Claus Ditlefson, 7 January 2020

Screening the possibilities to integrate shallow geothermal energy and energy storage in a mature district heating system

In the city of Aarhus heat is supplied by a well-developed district heating system from a number of different energy sources including waste incineration, biofuels and a decreasing amount of coal. It is the ambition of the Municipality of Aarhus to transform the supply to more sustainable energy sources within a relatively short period of time. Link to webpage of municipality of Aarhus: https://gogreenwithaarhus.dk/english/

In this context it is the aim of MUSE to investigate the possibilities to integrate shallow geothermal energy and shallow energy storage in a mature central heating system. The work is carried out as a desktop study in collaboration with Municipality of Aarhus, Department of Waste and District Heating. The project utilizes a vast amount of geological and geophysical data to a large extent retrieved as part of the national groundwater mapping program (1998-2015) stored in the public geological databases at GEUS.

So far a screening has been performed to map aquifers with limited drinking water interests usable for ATES (Aquifer Thermal Energy Storage) as well as deposits with limited groundwater flow suited for BTES (Borehole Thermal Energy Storage). The screening was performed using a newly develop screening tool designed by GEUS.

In a next step possible limitations of use in particular areas will be mapped and the areas will be prioritized in relation to expected storage capacity and proximity to the existing grid.
Link to digital resource map: https://data.geus.dk/geusmap/?mapname=varmelagring&lang=en

For more information about the screening, please contact:
Claus Ditlefsen, cdi@geus.dk

Red dots: Existing energy plants. Shaded polygons: Areas with geological settings potentially suited for shallow energy storage.
District heating, Aarhus: Left – main transmission  tubes, Middle – selected supply areas and right – local pipes for house connections (Department of Waste and District Heating, Municipality of Aarhus).

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