Heating and cooling using aquifer thermal energy storage (ATES) has hardly been applied outside the Netherlands, even though it could make a valuable contribution to the energy transition. The Climate-KIC project “Europe-wide Use of Energy from aquifers” – E-USE(aq) – aimed to pave the way for Europe-wide application of ATES, through the realization and monitoring of six ATES pilot plants across five different EU countries. In a preceding paper, based on preliminary results of E-USE(aq), conclusions were already drawn, demonstrating how the barriers for this form of shallow geothermal energy can be overcome, and sometimes even leveraged as opportunities. Based on final pilot project results, key economic and environmental outcomes are now presented. This paper starts with the analysis of specific technological barriers: unfamiliarity with the subsurface, presumed limited compatibility with existing energy provision systems (especially district heating), energy imbalances and groundwater contamination. The paper then shows how these barriers have been tackled, using improved site investigation and monitoring technologies to map heterogeneous subsoils. In this way ATES can cost-efficiently be included in smart grids and combined with other sources of renewable (especially solar) energy, while at the same time achieving groundwater remediation. A comparative assessment of economic and environmental impacts of the pilots is included, to demonstrate the sustainability of ATES system with different renewables and renewable-based technologies. The paper concludes with an assessment of the market application potential of ATES, including in areas with water scarcity, and a review of climate beneficial impact.

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A transition to a low carbon energy system is needed to respond to global challenge of climate change mitigation. Aquifer Thermal Energy Storage (ATES) is a technology with worldwide potential to provide sustainable space heating and cooling by (seasonal) storage and recovery of heat in the subsurface. However, adoption of ATES varies strongly across Europe, because of both technical as well as organizational barriers, e.g. differences in climatic and subsurface conditions and legislation respectively. After identification of all these barriers in a Climate-KIC research project, six ATES pilot systems have been installed in five different EU-countries aiming to show how such barriers can be overcome. This paper presents the results of the barrier analysis and of the pilot plants. The barriers are categorized in general barriers, and barriers for mature and immature markets. Two pilots show how ATES can be successfully used to re-develop contaminated sites by combining ATES with soil remediation. Two other pilots show the added value of ATES because its storage capacity enables the utilization of solar heat in combination with solar power production. Finally, two pilots are realized in countries with legal barriers where ATES systems have not previously been applied at all.@en

Our soils can provide sustainable energy. Aquifer Thermal Energy Storage (ATES) is a smart way to re-use heat and cold in buildings and it is widely recognized as promising technology for sustainable energy. Global demand for heating and cooling in the built environment accounts for about 40% of total primary energy consumption. ATES is a simple way of meeting that demand by using the soil. The Climate-KIC project ‘Europe-wide Use of Sustainable Energy from aquifers’ – E-USE(aq) – demonstrated how ATES systems can be implemented in several countries. It included six pilot projects in five countries that will generate a flywheel effect for the introduction of ATES systems throughout Europe.@en

Land subsidence in low-lying peatlands can be caused by shrinkage and organic matter oxidation. When these areas have networks of ditches and canals for drainage purposes, the sediments that accumulate in the waterways can be used to reverse the process of land subsidence. The objective of this study is to understand how dredged sediments can be used to reverse the process of land subsidence by analysing the contribution of shrinkage and organic matter mineralization to the subsidence observed in an upland deposit. A deposit of dredged sediments in the Wormer- en Jisperveld—North Holland, the Netherlands—was characterized during 17 months in terms of subsidence of the sediments, subsidence of the soil underlying the deposit, geotechnical water content, organic matter content, type of organic matter and nutrients. The deposit was filled to a height of 195 cm, and after 17 months, the subsidence of the sediments was 88 cm. In addition, a subsidence of 19.5 cm of the underlying soil was observed. Subsidence could be attributed to shrinkage since no significant changes in the organic matter content and total organic carbon were observed. The type of organic matter changed in the direction of humification until winter 2014, stabilized from winter 2014 to spring 2015 and changed in the direction of mineralization after the spring of 2015. Subsidence of dredged sediments in upland deposits is caused by shrinkage during the first 17 months. The solution of spreading thinner layers of sediments over the land to decrease the subsidence rates should be explored since the pressure of the deposit on the underlying soil caused an extra subsidence of 19.5 cm.

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Purpose: In delta areas, dense networks of canals have been developed through time and have to be periodically dredged. Lowering the groundwater level in delta areas deepens the aerobic zone, leading to the oxidation of organic matter and possibly to land subsidence. The use of the dredged sediments on land can be a solution to mitigate land subsidence in delta areas. Materials and methods: Five types of dredged sediments with different organic matter content and particle size distribution were dewatered for 7 days and then submitted to biochemical ripening during 141 days on a laboratorial scale with constant temperature and relative humidity. The functional properties analysed were the type and content of organic matter, pH, total C, N, P and S, dry bulk density, water retention capacity, aggregate stability and load-bearing capacity. Results and discussion: After biochemical ripening, there was no significant loss in the mass of organic matter but there was an increase in the fraction of stable organic compounds, observed by an increase in oxygen-bearing compounds and a decrease in hydrocarbons during biochemical ripening. The pH was not affected by biochemical ripening, and the total C, N, P and S concentrations are high and therefore the dredged sediments can improve the quality of the land. Most volume lost during dewatering and biochemical ripening can be attributed to the loss of water. The water retention capacity of the dredged sediments changed with biochemical ripening. The soils formed from biochemical ripening have very stable aggregates, and its load-bearing capacity is enough to sustain cattle and tractors. Conclusions: Most volume lost during dewatering and biochemical ripening can be attributed to the loss of water and not organic matter. Therefore, the studied dredged sediments have potential to mitigate land subsidence in delta areas when spread on land.

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