Skip to main content
  • Paul Scherrer Institut PSI
  • PSI Research, Labs & User Services

Digital User Office

  • Digital User Office
  • DE
  • EN
  • FR
Paul Scherrer Institut (PSI)
Search
Paul Scherrer Institut (PSI)

Hauptnavigation

  • Research at PSIOpen mainmenu item
    • Research Initiatives
    • Ethics and Research integrity
    • Scientific Highlights
    • Scientific Events
    • Scientific Career
    • PSI-FELLOW
    • PSI Data Policy
  • Research Divisions and LabsOpen mainmenu item
    • Overview
    • Research with Neutrons and Muons
    • Photon Science
    • Energy and Environment
    • Nuclear Energy and Safety
    • Biology and Chemistry
    • Scientific Computing, Theory and Data
    • Large Research Facilities
  • Facilities and InstrumentsOpen mainmenu item
    • Overview
    • Large Research Facilities
    • Facilities
    • PSI Facility Newsletter
  • PSI User ServicesOpen mainmenu item
    • User Office
    • Methods at the PSI User Facilities
    • Proposals for beam time
    • Proposal Deadlines
    • Data Analysis Service (PSD)
    • EU support programmes
  • New ProjectsOpen mainmenu item
    • SLS 2.0
    • IMPACT
  • DE
  • EN
  • FR

Digital User Office (mobile)

  • Digital User Office

You are here:

  1. PSI Home
  2. Labs & User Services
  3. NES
  4. LEA
  5. Technology Assessment
  6. Projects
  7. AEGIS-CH

Secondary navigation

Technology Assessment

  • Research Areas
    • Life Cycle Assessment
    • Environmental Impacts Assessment
    • Internal Cost Analysis
    • Risk Assessment
    • Mobility
    • Decision Support
  • Methods
    • Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)
      • Global Sensitivity Analysis in LCA
      • Prospective LCA
    • Environmental Impact and External Cost Assessment
    • Risk Assessment
      • Accident Risk Assessment
      • Bayesian Approaches
      • Risk Assessment for Critical Infrastructures
    • Decision Support
      • Composite Indicators
      • Interacting criteria
      • spatial MCDA
  • People
    • Former Group Members
  • Projects Expanded submenu item
    • Closed Projects
  • Publications
    • Preprint Journal Articles
    • Journals and Books
    • Reports and Working Papers
  • Theses and Internships
  • Conference
  • Tools
  • News & Scientific Highlights

Advanced Geothermal Systems to Improve the Resilience of the Energy Supply of Switzerland (AEGIS-CH)

Advanced Geothermal Systems to Improve the Resilience of the Energy Supply of Switzerland (AEGIS-CH)

AEGIS-CH is an Innosuisse Flagship project with the aim to improve the resilience of the Swiss energy system through the development and integration of Advanced Geothermal Systems (AGS). AGS, consisting of closed-loop wells without any hydraulic stimulation, have the potential to provide decarbonized, domestic and decentralized heat and electric power. This enables firming up an increasingly solar/wind (and thus largely only intermittently available) Swiss energy supply system, supporting the Swiss Energy Transition Strategy (SETS) 2050 as well as UN Sustainable Development Goals. Together with our academic and industry partners, new technology is developed to construct closed-loop AGS and the potential of AGS is explored in the context of the optimal energy mix. This integrated concept leads to essential AGS developments, energy policy recommendations for Switzerland and new energy business models.

The main goals of the project are threefold, namely (1) Decarbonizing Energy Supply; (2) Avoiding / Minimizing Import of Electricity; and (3) Providing Autarkic, Decentralized, Dispatachable, Baseload Thermal & Electric Power.

AEGIS-CH uses a holistic and systemic approach by grouping the 14 sub-projects in three clusters as well as a dedicated sub-project for dissemination activities. The “Economic Assessment” cluster (SP 1-3) enables proper inclusion of all modern geothermal energy technologies in such energy systems. It also links to the sub-projects on AGS technology development (see SP 8-13 below). To address this holistically, we consider the environmental, techno-economic and ecological aspects of the Swiss energy supply system (SESS).

The “System Perspective” cluster (SP 4-7) then addresses the overall energy mix scenarios for Switzerland, where all primary energy sources with proper integration of geothermal energy technologies and in particular AGS are included to reach the goals of the Swiss Energy Strategy 2050 and the targets of Switzerland’s long-term climate strategy. This cluster will deliver the benefits and overall risk of the energy mix scenarios and derive potential policy measures to motivate and steer the market.

In the “AGS Development” cluster (SP 8-13), a key aspect is the development of a significantly cheaper drilling technology based on novel Plasma-Pulse Geo-Drilling (PPGD) technology. A major component of this development is the down-hole pulse-generator (DHPG) in SP 8 which aims to integrate the pulsed plasma system in the bottom hole assembly. In addition, the entire PPGD drill system and drilling process need to be investigated, developed, and tested including specific casing/cementing solutions, borehole stability assessments (SP 9), directional drilling solutions (SP10), cuttings removal/fluid management (SP 11), coiled tubing drilling options (SP 12) and finally field testing (SP 13). Hence, the complete drilling process with novel PPDG technology and the complete drilling system is focused in the “AGS Development” cluster.

The overarching goal is to provide recommendations and roadmaps for the Swiss energy supply system (in SP 14), according to specified (Swiss Energy Transition 2050 and supply security) goals, such as no operational CO2 emissions, ensure supply security and limited/no energy imports.

aegis-ch-structure

Figure 1: Graphical overview of the AEGIS structure.

Sidebar

Project details

Duration: 2022-2026
Funding: 

  • Innosuisse

Researchers

Peter Burgherr
Eleftherios Siskos 
Karin Treyer

Partners

  • ETHZ-GEG
  • PSI-LEA-TAG 
  • OST 
  • Swiss GeoPower
  • Amberg Group
  • KIBAG
  • Basler & Hofmann
  • VersuchsStollen Hagerbach
  • Geotherm
  • Sika
top

Footer

Paul Scherrer Institut

Forschungsstrasse 111
5232 Villigen PSI
Switzerland

Telephone: +41 56 310 21 11
Telefax: +41 56 310 21 99

How to find us
Contact

Visitor Centre psi forum
School Lab iLab (in German)
Center for Proton Therapy
PSI Education Centre
PSI Guest House
PSI Gastronomie (in German)
psi forum shop

Service & Support

  • Phone Book
  • User Office
  • Accelerator Status
  • PSI Publications
  • Suppliers
  • E-Billing
  • Computing
  • Safety (in German)

Career

  • Working at PSI
  • Job Opportunities
  • Training and further education
  • Career Center
  • Vocational Training (in German)
  • PSI Education Center

For the media

  • PSI in brief
  • Facts and Figures
  • Media corner
  • Media Releases
  • Social Media

Follow us: Twitter (in English) LinkedIn Youtube Facebook Instagram Issuu RSS

Footer legal

  • Imprint
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Editors' login