Aquathermie in Baden-Württemberg – Strategische Bedeutung für eine klimaneutrale Wärmeversorgung

Brief report commissioned by the Umweltministeriums Baden-Württemberg

Authors: Helena Stange, Martin Pehnt, Yanik Acker

This strategy paper analyses the significance of aquathermal energy for heat supply in Baden-Württemberg. Aquathermal energy utilises the thermal energy from water to provide heating and cooling for buildings. Heat from rivers, lakes and canals is available almost all year round and locally, particularly where large quantities of sustainable heat are required – for example, in urban centres and for neighbourhood-scale solutions. Unlike other renewable heat sources, aquathermal energy is not subject to geological constraints, requires comparatively little land and can provide large quantities of heat for existing and new low-temperature heating networks. It thus bridges supply gaps caused by the limited potential of near-surface or deep geothermal energy and makes a decisive contribution to the decarbonisation of the heat supply.
 

This project involved an evaluation of potential studies and heating plans, as well as a literature review and a survey on aquathermal energy in Baden-Württemberg.