The value of geothermal energy under scenarios – E. Alfrink

Heating related energy consumption constitutes the greatest part of the total energy consumption in the Netherlands. However, the heating demand is mainly met by natural gas and only a small part is provided from renewable resources. Besides the emission of greenhouse gasses, this fossil fuel will also deplete eventually. The uncertainty on in the energy supply calls for the development of systems that preferably are based on domestic resources. This introduces the opportunity for utilizing indigenous geothermal energy as a cleaner, nearly emissions free renewable source of heat. However, large-scale deployment still lacks behind compared to other countries. This research presents the results on the study of the exploration of the potential and the feasibility of these systems in Eindhoven, under certain scenarios. Applying system dynamics allowed the discussion on plausible results, and required steps for withdrawing the barriers to the deployment of geothermal energy in the Netherlands.

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