Our Members: Our Members' Activities > Germany > Pullach
Hot springs for climate protection
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 The third drilling with the drilling tower. © Hekla Energy GmbH |
Pullach, near Munich, is firmly on the road to success with its geothermal energy production. In 2004, the small municipality was holding the German record with more than 4.000 meters drilled. Now, it is writing geothermal history with another pioneering project: for the first time ever a project is expanded by a third drilling in order to convert an existing reinsertion drill-hole into a production hole. This way, Pullach uses the heat stored in the crust of the Earth – literally – twice as well as before.
Economically and ecologically sensible energy supply
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 "Isarspatzen" visit new drilling site. ©Innovative Energie für Pullach |
The mayor of Pullach, Jürgen Westenthanner, is proud: „With our geothermal energy we were far ahead of our time – long before the recent debates about a nuclear phase-out.“ His municipality intends to connect two thirds of all Pullach households to the geothermal community heating: "We have created the conditions for a sustainable, ecologically and economically sensible energy supply. Now it is up to the citizens of Pullach to get connected and thus make their personal contribution to climate protection."
In August 2011, German television reported about the Pullach drilling in the "ZDF Umwelt" magazine. Anyway, the community is used to publicity: for its sustainable energy supply it received the German Environmental Aid Award as the best climate protection project in 2009.
The balance of a success story: 45.000 tons less of CO2
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 Geothermal energy heats public pool. © MFT |
So far, the municipality supplies sustainable geothermal energy to about one third of its households. It has constructed a heating network with a length of 25 kilometres, which has been functioning flawlessly for five years now. It has delivered over 115 gigawatt-hours of heat and has been able to save 11.000 tons of domestic fuel and reduce CO2 emissions by 45.000 tons. With the additional drilling, this balance will soon be even more impressive.
