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Impacts of the use of the geological subsurface for energy storage: an investigation concept

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Abstract

New methods and technologies for energy storage are required to make a transition to renewable energy sources; in Germany this transition is termed “Energiewende”. Subsurface georeservoirs, such as salt caverns for hydrogen, compressed air, and methane storage or porous formations for heat and gas storage, offer the possibility of hosting large amounts of energy. When employing these geological storage facilities, an adequate system and process understanding is essential in order to characterize and to predict the complex and interacting effects on other types of subsurface use and on protected entities. In order to make optimal use of georeservoirs, a comprehensive use planning of the subsurface is required that allocates specific uses to appropriate subsurface locations. This paper presents a generic methodology on how subsurface use planning can be conducted and how its scientific basis can be developed. Although synthetic, realistic scenarios for the use of the geological underground for energy storage are parameterized and numerically simulated, accounting for other kinds of subsurface use already in place. From these scenario analyses, the imposed coupled hydraulic, thermal, mechanical and chemical processes, as well as mutual effects and influences on protected entities are assessed and generalized. Based on these, a first methodology for large-scale planning of the geological subsurface considering different surface and subsurface usage scenarios may also be derived.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would gratefully like to acknowledge the funding provided by the German Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) for the ANGUS + project, grant number 03EK3022, as well as the support of the Project Management Jülich (PTJ). We also thank Anne de Grosbois and Katharina Benisch for editorial help.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for Geosciences, Christian-Albrechts-University Kiel, Ludewig-Meyn-Str. 10, 24118, Kiel, Germany

    Sebastian Bauer, Christof Beyer, Frank Dethlefsen, Markus Ebert, Volker Feeser, Ralf Köber, Wolfgang Rabbel, Dirk Schäfer & Andreas Dahmke

  2. Geographical Institute, Christian-Albrechts-University Kiel, Ludewig-Meyn-Str. 14, 24118, Kiel, Germany

    Rainer Duttmann

  3. Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research GmbH-UFZ, Permoserstraße 15, 04318, Leipzig, Germany

    Peter Dietrich, Uwe Görke & Olaf Kolditz

  4. German Research Centre for Geosciences-GFZ, Telegrafenberg E 253, 14473, Potsdam, Germany

    Hilke Würdemann

  5. Chair Foundation Engineering Soil and Rock Mechanics, Ruhr-University Bochum, 44780, Bochum, Germany

    Tom Schanz

  6. Applied Environmental System Analysis, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany

    Olaf Kolditz

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  1. Sebastian Bauer
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Correspondence to Sebastian Bauer.

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Bauer, S., Beyer, C., Dethlefsen, F. et al. Impacts of the use of the geological subsurface for energy storage: an investigation concept. Environ Earth Sci 70, 3935–3943 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-013-2883-0

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