A review of the legal framework in shallow geothermal energy in selected European countries: Need for guidelines

Tsagarakis, Konstantinos P.; Efthymiou, Loukia; Michopoulos, Apostolos; Mavragani, Amaryllis; Anđelković, Aleksandar S.; Antolini, Francesco; Bačić, Mario; Bajāre, Diāna; Baralis, Matteo; Bogusz, Witold; Burlon, Sébastien; Figueira, J.D. de Sousa; Genç, Mustafa Serdar; Javed, Saqib; Jurelionis, Andrius; Koca, Kemal; Ryżyński, Grzegorz; Urchueguı́a, Javier F.; Žlender, Bojan

doi:10.1016/j.renene.2018.10.007

Cited by 72 publications

(36 citation statements)

References 42 publications

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“…On the other hand, closed-loop systems are often not subjected to an approval procedure but, sometimes, to an ex-post communication to a local authority; this is the case, for example, in Region Lombardia (Italy) [94] and in France [95]. Several reviews on regulations have been published recently, among which are those reported in the works of [49][50][51][52][53], comparing prescriptions that mainly deal with operating temperatures and distances among installations and from drinking water wells.…”

Section: Authorizationmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Assessment and Minimization of Potential Environmental Impacts of Ground Source Heat Pump (GSHP) Systems

Casasso

Sethi

2019

Water

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Ground source heat pumps (GSHPs) gained increasing interest owing to benefits such as low heating and cooling costs, reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, and no pollutant emissions on site. However, GSHPs may have various possible interactions with underground and groundwater, which, despite the extremely rare occurrence of relevant damages, has raised concerns on their sustainability. Possible criticalities for their installation are (hydro)geological features (artesian aquifers, swelling or soluble layers, landslide-prone areas), human activities (mines, quarries, landfills, contaminated sites), and groundwater quality. Thermal alterations due to the operation of GSHPs may have an impact on groundwater chemistry and on the efficiency of neighboring installations. So far, scientific studies excluded appraisable geochemical alterations within typical ranges of GSHPs (±6 K on the initial groundwater temperature); such alterations, however, may occur for aquifer thermal energy storage over 40 • C. Thermal interferences among neighboring installations may be severe in urban areas with a high plant density, thus highlighting the need for their proper management. These issues are presented here and framed from a groundwater quality protection perspective, providing the basis for a discussion on critical aspects to be tackled in the planning, authorization, installation, and operation phase. GSHPs turn out to be safe and sustainable if care is taken in such phases, and the best available techniques are adopted.

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Section: Authorizationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The possible conflicts and impacts of GSHPs led to the issuing of legislation schemes with prescriptions such as operating temperature thresholds and minimum distances [49][50][51][52][53].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessment and Minimization of Potential Environmental Impacts of Ground Source Heat Pump (GSHP) Systems

Casasso

Sethi

2019

Water

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“…Thus, the WFD classifies heat input into the aquifer as pollution. However, a study by Hähnlein et al [18] on the legal status of shallow geothermal energy use reveals great differences between European countries: regulations are based on national or regional water management and/or ground-water protection authorities, different ministries or technical guidelines with the main purpose of the protection of groundwater as drinking water resource [19]. Furthermore, these regulations mostly concentrate on the temperature of reinjected water from industrial cooling processes and/or open geothermal systems.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Groundwater temperature anomalies in central Europe

Tissen

Benz

Menberg

et al. 2019

Environ. Res. Lett.

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As groundwater is competitively used for drinking, irrigation, industrial and geothermal applications, the focus on elevated groundwater temperature (GWT) affecting the sustainable use of this resource increases. Hence, in this study GWT anomalies and their heat sources are identified. The anthropogenic heat intensity (AHI), defined as the difference between GWT at the well location and the median of surrounding rural background GWTs, is evaluated in over 10 000 wells in ten European countries. Wells within the upper three percentiles of the AHI are investigated for each of the three major land cover classes (natural, agricultural and artificial). Extreme GWTs ranging between 25°C and 47°C are attributed to natural hot springs. In contrast, AHIs from 3 to 10K for both natural and agricultural surfaces are due to anthropogenic sources such as landfills, wastewater treatment plants or mining. Two-thirds of all anomalies beneath artificial surfaces have an AHI>6 K and are related to underground car parks, heated basements and district heating systems. In some wells, the GWT exceeds current threshold values for open geothermal systems. Consequently, a holistic management of groundwater, addressing a multitude of different heat sources, is required to balance the conflict between groundwater quality for drinking and groundwater as an energy source or storage media for geothermal systems. Abbreviations AHI (K) anthropogenic heat intensity AHI max (K) upper 3% percentile of the anthropogenic heat intensity AMD acid mine drainage CLC CORINE land cover DH district heating GST (°C) ground surface temperature GWT (°C) groundwater temperature GWT r (°C) rural background groundwater temperature LUC land utilisation class r seasonal radius SUHI subsurface urban heat island URG Upper Rhine Graben

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“…Some common approaches consider establishing a minimum distance of between 2.5 (Austria) and 10 m (Finland and Sweden) from the closed geothermal systems to the property lines [11]. In open geothermal systems, threshold values between 15 and 25 °C for cooling and between 2 and 5 °C for heating the groundwater have been proposed [12,13]. There is no common approach defining threshold values but a high variability of values that also seem to be empirically defined rather than scientifically evaluated [7,13].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In open geothermal systems, threshold values between 15 and 25 °C for cooling and between 2 and 5 °C for heating the groundwater have been proposed [12,13]. There is no common approach defining threshold values but a high variability of values that also seem to be empirically defined rather than scientifically evaluated [7,13]. In Spain, there is a lack of a clear legal framework on shallow geothermal energy systems because no statutes, regulations or ordinances exist [7,9].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Current Legal Framework on Shallow Geothermal Energy Use in Spain

Gil¹,

Moreno²

2019

J Sustain Res

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A steady increase in the use of shallow geothermal energy can be observed worldwide in past years. In order to highlight the necessity of a specific detailed legal framework for shallow geothermal energy systems, an overview of the current legal framework in Spain is carried out in this paper. Findings show complex legislation at the national level and a high diversity among regional governments in Spain. There is no legally binding definition of shallow geothermal energy resources and the deep geothermal approach of the past is embedded in the legislation inherited from 40 years ago. In consequence, the lack of specific legislation makes the licensing process of systems an effective barrier for the further development of the market, thus indicating the need for a common approach. This work highlights the need for a shallow geothermal energy management framework structure and a governance model based on an adaptive management approach, including both management planning and implementation as well as control cycles.

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A review of the legal framework in shallow geothermal energy in selected European countries: Need for guidelines

Cited by 72 publications

References 42 publications

Assessment and Minimization of Potential Environmental Impacts of Ground Source Heat Pump (GSHP) Systems

Assessment and Minimization of Potential Environmental Impacts of Ground Source Heat Pump (GSHP) Systems

Groundwater temperature anomalies in central Europe

Current Legal Framework on Shallow Geothermal Energy Use in Spain

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