This project is implemented by AQUALE Sprl, an engineering company from Belgium focused in modeling of surface and underground flow, contaminants and heat, and JBRAZ Representações, Consultoria e Comércio Exterior (website not available), a Brazilian consultancy focused in business development, sales representation and project development for the energy market
The project aims for the implantation at ENEVA’s energy generation park of an open-loop hydrothermal technology known as ATES-Aquifer Thermal Energy Storage.
Eneva’s access to hydrothermal energy will not be subject to discontinuity compared to other renewable technologies sources, as the average annual temperature difference of the groundwater bodies is just a few degrees Celsius. The exploitation of this kind of renewable resources contributes to environmental protection with a significant CO₂ reduction and other gas emissions into the atmosphere.
Last but not secondary, energy efficiency and energy savings occur within an attractive return on investment of between 4 and 10 years.
Hydrothermal solutions consist in obtaining heat or energy from a large body of water. "Heat" in this case should not be associated only to high temperatures, but to relative temperature differences between two liquids.
This heat can be used by introducing into the water body a piping system within which a fluid (water or another specific fluid) circulates at a lower temperature than the aquifer in which the system is installed. The heat transported by the fluid is taken from the aquifer and subsequently re-injected after the heat transfer, using a geothermal heat pump.
The objective of the project is therefore the implementation of a hydrothermal solution at Eneva’s 2.2 GW energy generation park in order to reduce water and energy consumption.
An open-loop hydrothermal solution called ATES Aquifer Thermal Energy Storage will be installed at Eneva’s energy generation park. The company will therefore have access to a reduction on water consumption in their cooling process by using a sustainable process that will return the used water to the hydrothermal source.
