Enhanced Geothermal Systems:Mitigating Risk in Urban Areas
byToni Kraft, P. Martin Mai, Stefan Wiemer, Nicholas Deichmann, Johannes Ripperger, Philipp Kästli, Corinne Bachmann, Donat Fäh, Jochen Wössner, Domenico Giardini
Year:2009
Extra Information
EOS. August 2009, Vol. 90, No. 32, Pages 273-280.
Abstract
With the global challenge to satisfy an
increasing demand for energy while at the
same time stabilizing or reducing carbon
dioxide (CO2) concentrations in the atmosphere, geothermal energy from enhanced
geothermal systems (EGSs) increasingly is
being recognized as an attractive alternative
energy source throughout the world. However, the risks associated with the seismicity
necessarily induced during the development
of an EGS constitute a significant challenge
for the widespread implementation of this
technology. This article provides a preliminary overview of lessons learned from an
attempt to develop an EGS beneath the city
of Basel, Switzerland.