GCs Folien, Daten und Veröffentlichungen über regenerativen Energien

The costs of electricity from geothermal Hot Dry Rock power plants are very dependent on the temperature gradient.

Here the attempt is made to estimate the costs starting from a reference case from the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI). The assumptions of the reference case and of the underlying economic figures are given in the upper table.

Temperature gradients as high as in the reference case will only be found at very few locations on earth, while temperature differences of e.g. 170 K between surface and 4000 m depth are much more common but still far better than average conditions. These conditions would probably allow the production of electricity at costs of 35 DPf/kWh.