After the earth trembled in the St. Gallen Sittertobel in 2013, the test drillings for the St. Gallen geothermal energy project were stopped. (Image: Stadt St. Gallen / St. Galler Stadtwerke)
After the earth trembled in the St. Gallen Sittertobel in 2013, the test drillings for the St. Gallen geothermal energy project were stopped. (Image: Stadt St. Gallen / St. Galler Stadtwerke) - Researchers from the Swiss Seismological Service SED and ETH Zurich are working with the Swiss National Supercomputing Centre CSCS to develop a way of utilising geothermal energy safely with the help of supercomputers. According to Switzerland's Energy Strategy 2050, the plan is for deep geothermal energy to contribute to the expansion of renewable energies in the country. However, this ambition presents special challenges. Although it is relatively easy to utilise geothermal energy on the volcanically active island of Iceland, for example, it is often much more difficult - and risky - on the continents. In Switzerland, engineers must drill to a depth of between 4 and 5 kilometres to reach regions of the Earth's crust that are hot enough to heat water to the required temperature of 160°C to 180°C. This water must flow through the hot rock via a borehole before being pumped back up to the surface.
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