The latest study by ETIP Geothermal (European Technology & Innovation Platform on Geothermal), Geothermal horizons: From cities to regionscollect the current state of geothermal energy in Europe, as well as the forecasts and role of this resource in the transition to a greener world.
It is about a type of energy that is stored as heat beneath the surface of solid earthwith many guarantees and significant energy savings. It is clean, renewable and inexhaustible and very easy to manage, which is why many governments around us are already fully supporting it.
And today, Geothermal energy is already responsible for heating and cooling more than 16 million people in Europe and is particularly popular in countries such as France, Germany, Italy or Hungary.
According to the report, there are more than 2 million geothermal heat pumps installed on our continent; Most of them are small units located in family homes, which have about 10kW of power and offer heat, cold and hot water.
Thinking about the future
The forecast is that larger and larger systems will be implemented until reaching 1MWth, in installations of residential or industrial and tertiary buildingsthanks to innovation and new business models.
In this new phase of geothermal energy, it is expected that In the next few years, more than 30 plants will be commissioned, which will be added to the 150 that already exist electricity generation on our continent, and that already provide electricity to more than 11 million people.
All of this aligns perfectly with the main roadmaps that we have for the next decade and that point to the need to invest in resources that allow us to reduce independence from fossil fuels.
Geothermal energy, in that sense, would represent more than 10% of energy consumption in Europe by 2040 and it would continue at full capacity thanks to the fact that it is a renewable energy, very competitive and that offers high security and flexibility.
In our country, however, It is still a more or less unknown resource.. Some communities such as Catalonia or the Canary Islands have already joined this clean energy, although the penetration figures for this resource make it clear that there is still a long way to go.