A report by GeoExchange NZ highlights the potential and additional gaps for elevated geoheat utilization within the Tauranga Geothermal System in New Zealand.
A brand new report ready by GeoExchange NZ Restricted (GeoExchange) for the Bay of Loads Regional Council (BOPRC) highlights the potential of the Tauranga Geothermal System in New Zealand for geoheat functions.
The total report, “GeoHeat Potential of the Tauranga Geothermal System,” might be accessed straight through this hyperlink or on the BOPRC web site.
BOPRC commissioned GeoExchange to supply this report within the wake of EECA’s Regional Vitality Transition Accelerator report for the Bay of Loads. The Council needed to research if geoheat within the western Bay of Loads has potential for use for renewable power, and, most significantly, whether it is sustainable to take action.
GeoExchange is a not too long ago launched firm that has made its mission to determine, shield, and develop New Zealand’s lesser recognized however considerable low-temperature (10 °C to 50 °C) groundwater and geothermal assets.
“Geoheat” functions for low-temperature geothermal
The Tauranga Geothermal System (TGS) covers an space of roughly 875 sq. km. within the western Bay of Loads area on the North Island of New Zealand. It’s a low-temperature geothermal system characterised as a groundwater system warmed by underlying geothermal influences. The groundwater temperatures on this space vary from roughly 15 °C within the absence of a geothermal affect as much as a most recorded temperature of 70 °C. Roughly 70% of consented wells are shallower than 200 metres and the deepest properly is at 916m.
Because the temperatures will not be sufficiently excessive for electrical energy technology, the main focus of this report was on easy methods to extract worth from this low-temperature geothermal useful resource within the type of renewable and reasonably priced geoheat. Utilizing geothermal warmth on this means is also known as ‘geoheat’ and this time period is used all through the report.
Alternatives and challenges
The report highlights {that a} lack of expertise of the presence and potential of the useful resource is a key issue that’s holding again the broader utilization of accessible geoheat. There may be want for elevated communication to let the individuals know concerning the completely different finish makes use of of geoheat (agriculture, gentle business, residential and industrial heating and cooling), completely different expertise functions (closed or open loop, direct use or warmth pump-assisted), sustainable administration practices, and the complete breadth and depth of the useful resource.
To assist in rising consciousness of geoheat assets and applicaitons, the report contains useful resource characterisation maps that show the potential for direct geoheat functions and for oblique, or floor supply warmth pump (GSHP) assisted functions with closed or open loop techniques.
Highlighted on these maps are key regional future improvement / progress areas which can be outlined within the coordinated regional technique, SmartGrowth (2024) and an evaluation of the geoheat potential for every improvement is made. The potential for district heating and cooling schemes is beneficial for many of those future developments / progress areas, positively reflecting the obtainable useful resource that’s the TGS.
By constructing an understanding of those maps and their limitations, and of geoheat expertise, this report can be utilized by stakeholders to raised perceive the geoheat potential of the TGS.
Supply: Electronic mail correspondence
