Open Access Publication of the Month – Jann M. Weinand (IEK-3) et al.
8 August 2023
To encourage us all to broaden our horizons, each month the Central Library selects one open access publication from the JuSER publications portal to be featured in the newsletter of Forschungszentrum Jülich.
In the open access publication of the month for August 2023, Jann Weinand and other authors from IEK-3 write about the cost-competitiveness of deep geothermal plants with direct lithium extraction in future energy systems.
Deep geothermal energy for heat and power production is often not competitive with other forms of renewable energy, such as wind or solar photovoltaics, in energy systems. However, new opportunities have recently emerged, such as the direct extraction of lithium from geothermal water. Using complex computer models, the authors demonstrated that deep geothermal systems will become cost-competitive in future energy systems through the extraction and sale of lithium. The steady energy supply from deep geothermal plants thus reduces the required share of other technologies such as wind, solar photovoltaics, and storage.
The global demand for lithium, often referred to as the “white gold” of the energy transition, will continue to accelerate in future, with conventional lithium mining methods having a major environmental impact. The Upper Rhine Valley in Germany alone could supply a large portion of the lithium currently required annually for newly registered electric vehicles in the European Union through the low-carbon extraction of lithium in geothermal plants. Significant lithium geothermal brine deposits have also been identified in the US, France, the UK, and Italy, suggesting that the utilization of combined geothermal–lithium plants in future transformation strategies is essential.
The open access publication entitled “Low-carbon lithium extraction makes deep geothermal plants cost-competitive in future energy systems” was published in the journal Advances in Applied Energy.
JuSER publications portal – Low-carbon lithium extraction makes deep geothermal plants cost-competitive in future energy systems
Internet – Institute of Energy and Climate Research – Techno-economic Systems Analysis (IEK-3)