Geothermal lived up to the expectations of food companies

An article published in the end of 2019, Dutch publication VMT looks into how the expectations of the food industry into geothermal energy have been met.

The food industry (in the Netherlands) had great confidence in geothermal energy (geothermal heat) when the Green Deal Ultra Deep Geothermal Energy (UDG) was concluded in June 2017. A year later, the Master Plan for Geothermal Energy in the Netherlands followed. How enthusiastic are food manufacturers at the end of 2019, now that the pressure to make the energy supply more sustainable?

Wind energy, solar energy and biomass often pass as sustainable energy sources to shape the energy transition in the Netherlands. The Cabinet wants to exchange all fossil fuels for non-fossil alternatives by 2050 at the latest. Food companies are also working hard to make their energy supply more sustainable. Many producers state that they also want to be fossil-free around 2050 or even earlier. The use of geothermal energy as an alternative to natural gas, for example, is hardly mentioned. In 2017, Lodewijk Burghout, project director of Hydreco Geomec, saw this form of energy as 'a promise for the future'.

Swinkels Family Brewers

Jan-Renier Swinkels, former CEO of Swinkels Family Brewers, called geothermal energy in local media 'a breakthrough in sustainability'. Now, more than two years later, the enthusiasm seems somewhat cooled. Burghout, who runs the Geothermal Brabant project , in which also Mars, FrieslandCampina and Swinkels Family Brewers (formerly Bavaria) are participating, is currently particularly busy with new projects for greenhouse horticulture and housing. Normal geothermal energy is sufficient for this (up to 4,000 meters depth at temperatures of 55-120 degrees Celsius). However, the food industry needs higher temperatures. For this it is necessary to drill deeper (UDG, ultra-deep geothermal: deeper than 4,000 meters at temperatures of >120 degrees Celsius).

Developments UDG (Ultra Deep Geothermal Energy)

What developments are there at food companies around UDG? Burghout: "There is limited progress for the industry. I would like to ask about it next year. " Marthijn Junggeburth, sustainability manager at Swinkels Family Brewers, confirms this position. The completed research in the deep soil still provides too little useful information, he says. "A new, more extensive investigation has since started, but will not be completed until the end of 2020. This is followed by six months to process the results. We expect that it will not be until the end of 2021 that we decide whether and how we will proceed with geothermal energy. "

TNO

The use of UDG by the food industry to make its own energy supply more sustainable appears to be a long way off. Nevertheless, the role of UDG in the energy transition is far from finished, knows Maurice Hanegraaf, geothermal expert at TNO . The government puts a lot of money into seismological research and encourages the use of (ultra-deep) geothermal heat.

For example, Energie Beheer Nederland (EBN) and TNO have been working together since the beginning of 2019 on the Seismic Campaign for Geothermal Energy Netherlands (SCAN - updated link), we reported. The government has allocated EUR 28 million for this. The SCAN program can be used to determine where the subsurface in the Netherlands may be suitable for geothermal energy extraction. The project focuses on areas with a high heat demand and on areas where little data is available for conventional and ultra-deep geothermal energy. This involves hundreds of kilometers of seismic lines that run throughout the Netherlands.

Potential food industry

"In seismic surveys, sound waves are sent into the ground to map the location of the rock / earth layers," Hanegraaf explains. Depending on the research results, one to three locations are selected for test drilling (> 4,000 m). "After these drilling, it is more clear about the potential of UDG for the food industry."

The program is still running for a few years. Ultimately, it can ensure that geothermal heat projects are accelerated and that UDG also becomes available for the food industry, says Hanegraaf. "No company is currently investing in UDG due to a lack of geological data. Hopefully the SCAN program can take this away. Investing in conventional geothermal energy is already taking place. After all, this is a proven technology, "emphasizes the TNO scientist.

SCAN results

The SCAN results will be released next year (2020). Then it becomes clear what the potential of UDG is for the food industry. "At the moment there are more than twenty conventional geothermal projects that supply heat to greenhouse horticulture and soon to the built environment. Every year three to five new projects are added, "says Hanegraaf.

In 2050, geothermal energy must generate at least 110 petajoules of geothermal heat (10 to 25% of the total heat demand in the Netherlands) for greenhouse horticulture and the built environment. A smaller proportion will come from UDG and is therefore suitable for the (food) industry, the TNO expects. He believes in UDG: "The knowledge for drilling to depths of four kilometers is already there because of the oil and gas drilling.

Geothermal energy

There are only few wells in the Netherlands that have been drilled deeper. As a result, there is still uncertainty about what exactly is in the ground. " He continues: "The positive thing is that EBN is owned by the Dutch state and invests in UDG. The organization only does this if it sees a healthy business case in it. This is really a big boost for the development of geothermal energy as a whole in the Netherlands. "

It is possible that geothermal energy will follow a similar development as natural gas. There was also a seismic campaign for this fuel in the 1960s to investigate extraction. "And that worked out well," says Hanegraaf.

Mars

For food companies that enthusiastically joined the UDG Green Deal projects two years ago, we are waiting for the results of the SCAN program. Geothermal energy is currently on the back burner for them. Whether UDG is possible in North Brabant is not yet clear, confirms Mars in Veghel. "And if it is possible, then the question is who can exploit it and whether it works", explains spokesperson Roel Govers from Mars Netherlands.

Chocolade

The company has another important question: what are the costs of UDG? Because it is still unclear whether geothermal energy can become a sustainable source of energy for Mars, the manufacturer is not (yet) taking any action in this area, says Govers. If the SCAN program shows that UDG is possible in Noord-Brabant, Mars sees plenty of opportunities for this renewable energy source. "We would mainly use hot water in our production environment: making chocolate requires heat."

FrieslandCampina

About two hundred kilometers to the north, in Friesland, FrieslandCampina still has UDG in sight. The dairy company not only participates in Geothermal Brabant, it also participates in the UDG Consortium in Leeuwarden. In 2017 the multinational already indicated a lot of potential in UDG for its factory in the Frisian capital.

What is the state of affairs in 2019? "In the past two years, more insight has been gained into geothermal energy and steps have also been taken," explains Klaas Vos, sustainability supply chain manager. "On the basis of existing seismic information, research is taking place that will be ready in the first quarter of 2020. Based on this, FrieslandCampina will consider next steps. "

Thermal processes

The dairy company can use the green source of heat - and perhaps electricity - for thermal processes such as pasteurization and sterilization. FrieslandCampina would also like to use UDG to generate electricity in the large factory in Leeuwarden. In addition, geothermal energy can be interesting for the smaller cheese production locations of FrieslandCampina. Less high temperatures are required for this.

"But research has shown that the energy consumption for a small location is insufficient for one optimum doublet (the doublet consists of the production well (pumping up hot water) and the injection well (draining cooled water), ed.)." Vos continues: "Cooperation with the environment, such as with other companies, is therefore necessary. However, due to the large distances between our locations, that is not always possible. "

Cost tag

And just like with Mars, questions arise from FrieslandCampina about technology, operation and operation. FrieslandCampina sees the uncertainty about the availability of the energy form, but also the conversion of existing energy infrastructure, possible redundant systems as back-up, and the limited lifespan of such a borehole as disadvantages of UDG. Then there is the cost that little is known about. Vos: "In addition to the costs of having a (geothermal) source available, considerable expenses are also expected in making and keeping the system operational."

SDE scheme (Dutch renewable energy development support scheme)

Nevertheless, geothermal energy can already be attractive for companies. There is a Stimulation of Sustainable Energy (SDE) scheme and a guarantee scheme for geothermal energy in case of malfunctions, says TNO employee Hanegraaf. "UDG is not eligible for this because the success rate of a UDG project is less than 90 percent. That is a requirement for these schemes. That can change if the SCAN program and the test drilling make more data available on the deep subsurface. "

Heat pumps

Depending on the outcomes of the SCAN program, the first heat can be gained with UDG in 2021, Hanegraaf expects. Pending completion of the program, food companies in many areas can combine geothermal energy with heat pumps. The latter raise the temperature from the soil. Hanegraaf admits that this is still an expensive option, because natural gas still costs relatively little. "But in the long run this is certainly an attractive competitive technology in a fossil-free world."

Source: Think Geoenergy
Photo Credit: Screenshot, OmroepFlevoland

Source: Think Geoenergy