GECO

GECO project, GECO standing for “Geothermal Emission Control” is an EU funded project through the Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation programme (grant number 818169).

GECO aims to develop near Zero Emission Geothermal Power Plants. The project will advance the provision of cleaner and cost-effective geothermal energy across Europe and the World with reduced emissions of carbon and sulphur. The core of this project is the application of an innovative technology, recently developed and successfully demonstrated at a pilot-scale in Iceland, which can limit the emissions from geothermal plants by condensing and re-injecting gases in the subsurface or turning them into commercial products. GECO aims to increase public acceptance and generalize this novel approach.

Within GECO, gas capture and purification methods will be advanced by lowering consumption of resources (electricity, water and chemicals) to deliver cheaper usable CO2 streams as commodity to third parties. GECO’s unique approach consists of capturing the waste gases, dissolving them in the exhaust geothermal water stream, and reinjecting the aqueous solution. The re-injected acidic gas-charged fluid provokes the dissolution of subsurface rocks, which increases the reservoir permeability, and promotes the fixation of the dissolved gases by mineralization. The waste gases are therefore stored in the long term, in an environmentally friendly manner, while geothermal emissions are cost-effectively cleaned compared to standard industry solutions. A detailed and consistent monitoring program, geochemical analysis, and comprehensive modelling will characterize the reactivity and consequences of fluid-flow in the geologically diverse field sites of GECO. This will create new and more accurate modelling tools to predict the reactions that occur in the subsurface in response to induced fluid-flow and favour the scalability of gas capture and purification. Finally, gas capture for reuse will be demonstrated by producing a CO2 stream with only trace H2S levels. This prerequisite for most utilization pathways will be demonstrated as part of the GECO project.

For more information about this project please visit the GECO website.