Geothermal power - the wonder weapon in the war of energy supply?
Highly praised in the media as the clean and efficient solution for our global warming problem, not many people actually believed that geothermal projects could stand up to the hopes (Club of Pioneers reported on geothermal energy in the past).
Even experts couldn’t have been further from it – the German pilot project Unterhaching near Munich surprised everyone exceeding all expectations with the second deep drilling. The water found at a depth of 3,577 meter, tops that of the first drilling in both temperature (127 °C) and yield – which directly translates into energy supply.
Giving a perspective on the range of the success: The most optimistic prognoses promised a temperature of 120 °C and a yield of up to 150 l/s.
Christian Schönwiesner-Bozkurt, head of the geothermal project in Unterhaching, therefore states: “This is the breakthrough for geothermal energy as an alternative energy source in Bavaria” – if not all of Europe.
Besides the current success this Bavarian project is exceptionally innovative and pioneering for a number of other reasons:
For the first time, the Molasse Basin in Southern Germany is tapped for geothermal electricity production.
Unlike conventional geothermal plants, the hot water will not only be use for the local district heating network but also for power generation according to demand.
Made possible through the power generating technology known as the KALINA-process used on an industrial scale – another first-timer in Germany.
To sum it up: yes, geothermal power so far really looks like a wonder (weapon) and could become an export hit, capitalizing on the technology and know-how of German experts in this field.

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