Speaker
Description
The New Geothermal Energy Plant at University of Stavanger, now in its first year of operation, significantly enhances sustainable energy production on campus. With targets set for substantial reductions in CO2 emissions and operational costs of thermal energy production, this presentation will cover the plant’s foundational design principles and research goals. A key design choice involves the strategic integration of a geothermal borehole configuration that is undersized relative to the heat pump capacity, emphasizing the essential balance between economic and sustainability considerations. Furthermore, peak load ambient air coolers are effectively used to maintain desirable borehole temperatures.
Alongside the construction of the plant, a comprehensive research initiative has been developed. This initiative includes drilling semi-deep boreholes and replacing standard collectors with alternative designs in eight of the 300-meter boreholes. Equipped with an advanced sensor scheme, including fiber-optic temperature measurements on the inside of both legs of the heat exchanger in several boreholes, the project is thoroughly equipped to deepen our understanding of geothermal heat exchange. The academic institution has unrestricted access to all measured data from the main project, facilitating detailed monitoring and potential optimization of the plant's performance.
We will detail the development of these research activities and tackle the challenges of integrating a research project under a financially motivated main contractor. Key issues such as budget constraints and coordination complexities will be highlighted.
The presentation offers a comprehensive technical overview and delves into the economic and technical challenges of implementing a research project.
