Geothermal warehouse heating implemented in Rouen, France
Rouen, France showing the River Seine (source: Photo by CEphoto, Uwe Aranas)
Carlo Cariaga
8 Feb 2024
Industrial property developer P3 has invested on a geothermal heat storage system at a warehouse space in Rouen, France.
European industry property developer P3 has implemented a pilot geothermal heating project in the warehouse space of La Poste Immobilier in the P3 Rouen brownfield site in Rouen, France. The geothermal system now provides 77% of the heat used in the new building, with the balance supplied by an air-source heat pump.
For this innovative project, P3 hired energy efficiency expert Accenta to drill 200-meter boreholes at the site of P3 Rouen building. The Boreholes Thermal Energy Storage (BTES) system stores waste heat during summer and supplies this heat using probes during winter. The system stores and supplies energy for heating or cooling with a maximum geothermal output of approximately 365 kW.
“We had to be innovative in this project because the new property has high heating requirements. We went down the route of minimising the environmental impact and reducing the CO2 emissions associated with heating the building by around 90%. There was a long and detailed planning process in close collaboration with our customer and we are proud to have proven that there is a case for using sustainable geothermal heating in the logistics sector,” said Nicolas Camus, Head of Construction at P3 France.
P3 is aware of the challenges of developing geothermal projects, namely the high initial costs the inherent development risks to industrial users. The success of the pilot project at P3 Rouen may help make geothermal a more attractive option for tenants, as it provides data to help in decision-making.
“What we really need is data. Only then will it be possible to determine whether to implement geothermal energy elsewhere in the portfolio,” confirmed Tomas Kubín, P3’s Director of Development for Central, Eastern and Western Europe. “Data is the starting point for any technology that we think could be useful, and a pilot project like the one at P3 Rouen will provide us with it.”
France is considered one of the pioneers of geothermal heating in Europe. Geothermal provides heating for many parts of the Greater Paris area, as well as in vital facilities like the Orly Airport and the Athletes’ Village for the 2024 Olympics.
Source: CIJ Europe
