Analysis of the Sustainable Use of Geothermal Waters and Future Development Possibilities—A Case Study from the Opole Region, Poland

Abstract

To achieve future energy policy goals, efficient energy systems based on geothermal water should be used more widely. The presented case study from the Opole region in Poland shows that there is great potential for investors interested in recovering geothermal energy in new facilities, for example to heat the domestic districts. The geological structure of the Opolskie Voivodship demonstrates the presence of rich geothermal water resources. Currently, these resources are not used for power engineering in the Opole Region, except for in a few passive houses. The existing boreholes have waters which reach temperatures ranging from 20 to 90 °C and prove that the region displays a high energy potential. The results from the calculations here show that the use of three low temperature geothermal intakes could be possible in three locations, namely in Grabin, in the area of Nysa, and in Wołczyn. This could generate thermal energy at a level of 34 GWh/year. This corresponds to the heat demand of approximately 1150 detached houses with an area of 150 square meters. The results show that thermal energy for a medium size housing district can be supplied from a single borehole. The temperatures of water in the analyzed intakes determine their method of use as a lower heat source for heat pumps.