The EU-funded GEOTHERM FORA project has published a new report that looks at the research and innovation trends from the last five years (2019-2024) for geothermal systems for heating, cooling, generation of electricity, storage technologies, extraction of critical minerals from geothermal brine.
The full document, “Report on major technological trends,” can be accessed via this link.
The report classifies identified research topics and innovation trends in terms of Technology Readiness Levels (TRL). It also presents case studies to illustrate the different systems. The authors are cognizant that the report can never be exhaustive considering the multitude of ongoing research and innovation activities ongoing, but updates on the report are foreseen.
Research trends
Low TRL research trends include:
Machine learning and AI tools for geothermal exploration and operations
Digitization and digital twins
Advanced exploration tools (soil gas surveys, urban seismic exploration, forward modeling methods)
The use of supercritical CO2 as a heat transfer medium
CO2 reinjection in geothermal brine
Coupled thermal, hydraulic, mechanical, and chemical (THMC) modeling
Smart monitoring for reservoir monitoring, well integrity, and pump lifetime
Geothermal exploitation in crystalline basement
High TRL (TRL 6-9) research trends include:
Novel drilling technologies (high-pressure water jet-enhanced mud hammer, ANCHORBIT downhole walking system, Directional Steel Shot Drilling, Dual Circulation Water Hammer Technology, laser drilling with cryogenic gas technology, Electrical Pulsed Power technology, OptiDrill project)
High-performance materials for high-temperature and high-salinity fluids
Full reinjection geothermal power plants in Italy
Underground thermal energy storage
Geothermal heat pump systems
Innovation trends and case studies
For technologies, that are already closer to market in their development, several trends can be observed for both the subsurface part and the surface system of the geothermal plant.
Large and high-temperature heat pumps (Vélizy-Villacoublay, France)
Large-scale geothermal heat pump systems (Ferney-Voltaire, France)
5th generation district heating and cooling (Vridsløsemagle, Denmark and Bad Nauheim, Germany)
New casing materials (Composite Downhole Tubulars and Glass-fiber reinforced epoxy piping)
New drilling and well designs, and novel drilling equipment
Larger ORC turbines
District cooling
Close to market technologies
The report highlights technologies that are close to market-ready level, with demonstration projects expected to be on the market before 2030.
Medium and high-temperatures underground thermal energy storage
Single well systems (Eden Geothermal, Cornwall, UK)
Deep closed-loop multi-lateral well systems (Eavor Technologies, Geretsried, Germany)
Cooling for data centres (Strasbourg, France and Bergamo, Italy)
Co-production of critical raw materials (Vulcan Energy Resources, Landau, Germany and Cornish Lithium, Cornwall, UK)
