European Geothermal Energy Council (EGEC)<\/a>, outlines the many ways in which geothermal energy provides the foundation for a full and inclusive transition away from the EU\u2019s fossil-dominated energy system.<\/h2>\nThe best things come to those who wait. Geothermal energy has waited a long time for policymakers and politicians to notice it. Now it seems that they cannot get enough.<\/p>\n
Many factors account for this interest. They range from serious attempts to meet the Paris Agreement\u2019s net-zero emission reduction target to many local authorities grappling with the removal of fossil fuels from their heating systems, with local and competitive energy sources; the increased value of lithium; as well as Russia\u2019s invasion of Ukraine.<\/p>\n
Geothermal energy is a mature technology that currently makes a small but significant contribution to Europe\u2019s energy mix. However, it can do more. To meet the Paris Agreement targets and timetable, and to answer current energy challenges, it must do more.<\/p>\n
We outline the five steps that need to be taken to help push geothermal from a niche to the mainstream.<\/p>\n
Geothermal energy in Europe<\/h3>\n
20 TWh of renewable electricity in Europe came from 3.4 GWe of installed capacity across 142 plants of varying sizes in 2022. The bulk of this baseload production came from three countries \u2013 Turkey (7.8 TWh), Italy (5.9 TWh), and Iceland (5.6 TWh).<\/p>\n
Geothermal electricity is also produced in Croatia, France, Germany, Hungary, Austria and Portugal, whilst new capacity is being installed in Belgium, Slovakia, Greece, Switzerland, and the UK.<\/p>\n
Unlike its more popular cousins \u2013 solar photovoltaic (PV) or wind \u2013 geothermal provides firm and flexible power. Its average capacity factor is higher than 80%, with some plants running at 100%. This means that an MWe capacity of geothermal is an order of magnitude different to its variable kin.<\/p>\n
For example, in Croatia, a single 16.5 MWe capacity powerplant produced nearly as much renewable electricity as the 309 MWe of installed solar PV \u2013 94 MWh and 96 MWh, respectively \u2013 in 2020.<\/p>\n
Around 350 geothermal district heating and cooling systems were in operation in 2021. Fig. 1 indicates that 30 countries either have geothermal district heating systems or are in the process of installing systems.<\/p>\n