Site map: Home » Geothermal in the World » Direct Uses » Germany
Site Map
LOG IN
user: password:
Not an IGA Member? Register here »

Welcome to our page with data for Germany - Direct uses

 
 
DIRECT USES
 
Total thermal installed capacity in MWt:
2,485.4
Direct use in TJ/year
12,764.5
Direct use in GWh/year
3,546
Capacity factor
0.16

Presently, there are 162 geothermal direct-use installations in the country. The installations comprise district heating, space heating in some cases combined with greenhouses and thermal spas. Most of the district heating plants are located in the Northern German Basin, the Molasse Basin in Southern Germany, or along the Upper Rhine Graben. Two geothermal power plants at Neustadt-Glewe and Unterhaching also provide water for district heating.

In addition to these large installations, there are numerous small- and medium-size geothermal heat pump units located throughout the country. Under the prevailing economic and political conditions, multiple or cascaded uses are employed to help improve the economic efficiency of the direct use. For this reason many installations combine district or space heating with greenhouses and thermal spas. No numbers are given for greenhouse heating. Geothermal heat pump installations are difficult to determine, however, estimates from sales statistics indicated that there are 148,000 units operating in 2008 and a 20% increase estimated for 2009 for a total of 178,000 units (13% water-source and 87% ground-coupled).

The capacity and energy use for the various applications are:

1.2 MWt and 2.9 TJ/yr for individual space heating,
209.3 MWt and 1054.4 TJ/yr for district heating;
44.9 MWt and 1,339.2 TJ/yr for bathing and swimming;
2,230 MWt and 10,368 TJ/yr for geothermal heat pumps,

for a country total of 2,485.4 MWt and 12,764.5 TJ/yr.

 

Taken from the paper by John W. Lund, Derek H. Freeston, and Tonya L. Boyd: "Direct Utilization of Geothermal Energy 2010 Worldwide Review"; published in Proceedings of the World Geothermal Congress 2010, Bali, Indonesia, 25-29 April 2010