"Rising from the Heat: Europe Embraces the Power of Geothermal Energy"

Forget about relying on finite sources of energy. Europe is turning towards a renewable and unlimited energy source - geothermal. With France, Iceland and Hungary leading the way, several countries are investing billions of euros in this energy source to meet their energy demands.

image source: (unsplash.com,Mark Kuiper)

A Rich European Tradition

Europe has a rich history in geothermal energy, with Iceland, France, and Hungary dominating the sector. However, in recent years, more and more countries have shown an increased interest in exploring the potential of this renewable energy source. Geothermal energy is 100% renewable, unlimited, and reliable - making it a valuable resource in the race towards decarbonization. The ongoing conflict in Ukraine has highlighted the continent's vulnerability in the energy sector and has only reinforced the trend towards investing in geothermal energy.

Decarbonizing 25% of Energy Demand

Geothermal power plants are estimated to provide up to 10% of the electricity demand in Europe. The substitution of fossil fuels with geothermal energy could decarbonize up to 25% of the entire population's energy demand, according to EU data. This means that this renewable energy source is finally getting the attention it deserves and is helping to increase the continent's energy independence and achieve ambitious climate goals.

Driven by GermanyCurrently, Germany is leading the way in the transition to geothermal energy. At the end of 2022, the German government released a plan to increase geothermal production ten-fold, reaching 10 TWh by 2030. Monaco, with its perfect geological location, has planned an investment of one billion euros in geothermal energy by 2035 with the goal of reducing CO2 emissions and gaining energy independence.

France's PlanThe French government has also recently announced a new action plan for the development of geothermal energy. The goal is to produce enough geothermal heat in 15-20 years to save 100 TWh of gas each year and achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. In 2021, geothermal energy represented only 1% of the country's final heat consumption, equivalent to about 6 TWh.

Italy and Other Countries

While Italy is still debating how to support the expansion of geothermal energy, Hungary is already looking to boost production, replacing about 1-1,5 billion cubic meters of natural gas per year. The largest geothermal heating plant in Europe is expected to be completed by 2030 in the city of Aarhus, Denmark. This facility should be able to cover about 30% of the area's energy demand.

Energy transition refers to the shift from traditional, fossil fuel-based energy systems to more sustainable, clean and renewable energy sources. There are several ways to achieve an energy transition, including:

Increased Renewable Energy Generation: One of the most effective ways to achieve energy transition is by increasing the generation of renewable energy sources, such as wind, solar, hydro and geothermal power. This can be done through government policies, subsidies and investment in new technologies.

Energy Efficiency Measures: Improving energy efficiency across all sectors is another key way to achieve energy transition. This can be done through better building insulation, use of efficient appliances, and better urban planning and transportation.

Electrification of Transportation: The transportation sector is a significant contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. The transition to electric vehicles (EVs) and other low-emission modes of transportation, such as public transportation and cycling, can help reduce emissions from the sector.

Decentralized Energy Systems: Decentralized energy systems, such as microgrids, can help communities become more self-sufficient and reduce their reliance on centralized energy systems.

Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS): CCS is a technology that captures carbon dioxide emissions from industrial processes and stores them underground, preventing them from entering the atmosphere. This technology can help mitigate emissions from sectors that are difficult to decarbonize, such as cement and steel production.

Nuclear Energy: While nuclear energy is a controversial energy source, it does have the potential to play a role in achieving energy transition, especially in countries with a large existing nuclear power infrastructure.

It's important to note that an energy transition is a complex and multi-faceted process, and no single solution will work for every country. A successful energy transition will likely require a combination of these strategies, tailored to the specific needs and resources of each country.

Embrace the heat and join Europe's journey towards a sustainable future powered by geothermal energy.

This link below exponds a much fascinative information on geothermal.

https://alphaxioms.blogspot.com/2023/01/exploring-intriguing-connection-between.html

source:(https://www.energiaitalia.news/news/geotermico/leuropa-progetta-di-sostituire-il-gas-naturale-con-lenergia-geotermica/12231/)

#Energytransition #Europe #Geothermal

Comments

Amsterdam Strikes Geothermal Gold: Hot, Thick, Permeable Reservoir Confirmed

Breakthrough Beneath the Beach: Amsterdam Region Hits Geothermal Paydirt at Strandeiland By: Robert Buluma The Netherlands just took a giant leap toward fossil-free heating. On the artificial island of Strandeiland (part of Amsterdam’s fast-growing IJburg district), the SCAN exploration well has officially confirmed what the geothermal community has been hoping for: a thick, hot, and , most importantly permeable reservoir in the Slochteren Formation. Key numbers that matter: Reservoir thickness: 152 meters Bottom-hole temperature: 66 °C Permeability: confirmed via successful production and injection tests That’s not screaming-hot by Icelandic standards, but for direct-use district heating in one of Europe’s densest urban areas, 66 °C is more than enough to supply thousands of homes with clean, baseload heat – forever. Why This Well Changes Everything for the Netherlands The Dutch government launched the SCAN program (Seismic Campaign Nethe...

Zanskar’s Big Blind: First Blind Geothermal Discovery in 30 Years

Big Blind: The Geothermal Discovery That Changes Everything By: Robert Buluma Utah startup Zanskar Geothermal quietly dropped one of the most important announcements in American energy in decades. They discovered and confirmed “Big Blind” ,the first completely blind, commercial-grade geothermal system found in the United States in over thirty years. Let that sink in. No hot springs. No fumaroles. No steaming ground. No prior wells. Zero surface expression whatsoever. Just desert, sagebrush, and – 7,000 feet below, a reservoir hot enough and permeable enough to support gigawatt-scale power production. This isn’t incremental progress. This is a paradigm breaker. Why “Blind” Discoveries Matter So Much For the last 40 years, geothermal development in the U.S. has been geographically handcuffed. You could only build plants where nature advertised the resource on the surface – think Yellowstone, The Geysers, or Imperial Valley. Ever...

Europe’s Underground Energy Revolution: EGEC Demands 250 GW Geothermal by 2040

Europe’s Geothermal Revolution Is Coming: EGEC Demands a 250 GW Target by 2040 – Here’s Why 2026 Will Be Make-or-Break By: Robert Buluma Published: December 9, 2025 On 5 December 2025, the European Geothermal Energy Council (EGEC) dropped a bombshell policy paper with a crystal-clear message to Brussels: Europe is sleeping on the biggest indigenous, baseload, 24/7 renewable energy source under its feet , and it’s time to wake up. Titled ,The European Geothermal Strategy and Action Plan , Making Europe competitive, secure and affordable, the document is the strongest industry call yet for the European Commission to publish a dedicated European Geothermal Strategy and Action Plan in Q1 2026. And the ambition is massive: 250 GW of installed geothermal capacity by 2040 a six-fold increase from today’s ~44 GW (mostly district heating and a handful of power plants). Why Now? Because Europe Can No Longer Afford to Wait Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Europe has been laser-focu...

Taiwan Drills 4,000m in Yilan, Unlocks Deep Geothermal Power

Breakthrough in Taiwan’s Deep Geothermal Energy: Academia Sinica and CPC Corporation Drill Nearly 4,000 Meters in Yilan and Find High-Potential Reservoir Published: December 10, 2025 By: Robert Buluma In a historic milestone for Taiwan’s renewable energy journey, Academia Sinica (Central Research Academy) and Taiwan’s state-owned CPC Corporation have successfully completed the island’s first-ever “deep geothermal exploratory well” in Yuanshan Township, Yilan County. The well reached a depth of nearly 4,000 meters, recorded a bottom-hole temperature close to 150 °C, and confirmed the existence of an upwelling heat source beneath the northern Yilan Plain. Researchers are now calling it a “high-potential geothermal reservoir” that could become a cornerstone of Taiwan’s green energy transition. From Anxiety to Excitement: The Temperature Surprise Dr. Ji-Chen Lee (李建成), principal investigator of the “Taiwan Geothermal Research and Technology Development Project” and researcher a...

Eavor’s Geretsried Closed-Loop Geothermal Plant Now Powers the Grid

Eavor Technologies Achieves Historic Milestone: World’s First Commercial-Scale Closed-Loop Geothermal System Now Delivering Power in Geretsried, Germany Published: December 2025 By: Robert Buluma The Day Geothermal Changed Forever On a crisp Bavarian morning in late 2025, a quiet revolution in clean energy officially went live. Eavor Technologies Inc ., the Calgary-based pioneer of closed-loop geothermal technology, announced that its flagship commercial project in Geretsried, Germany has begun delivering power to the grid becoming the world’s first utility-scale multilateral closed-loop geothermal system to achieve commercial operation. For anyone who has followed the geothermal sector for the last decade, this is nothing short of seismic (pun intended). What Makes Eavor’s Closed-Loop System Truly Disruptive? Traditional geothermal plants rely on naturally occurring hot water reservoirs or enhanced geothermal systems (EGS) that require hydraulic fracturing and massiv...

Hawaii’s Underground Secret to Cheaper, Greener Cooling Revealed

Unlocking Hawaii’s Hidden Cooling Power: New Report Reveals Huge Potential for Geothermal Cooling on Oahu (2025) By: Robert Buluma Could the same volcanic islands that give Hawaii its famous heat also provide the solution to cool its buildings , without crushing the electric grid? A groundbreaking new report released December 8, 2025, by the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa (UHM) and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) says the answer is a resounding yes. Shallow geothermal heat exchangers (GHEs) , also known as geothermal heat pumps or ground-source heat pumps ,could dramatically cut cooling costs and electricity demand across Oahu, especially for large buildings like schools, military bases, and university facilities. Here’s everything you need to know about this exciting development in Hawaii geothermal cooling technology. Why Hawaii Is Perfectly Suited for Geothermal Cooling Most of the world uses geothermal heat pumps for heating in cold climates. Hawaii ...

🔥 Krafla Magma Testbed: Drilling Into the Earth’s Fiery Heart

Krafla Magma Testbed (KMT) : Humanity’s Bold Leap Into the Heart of the Earth Interview from Bjorn Gudmundsson the C.E.O-Krafla Magma Testbed and Team By: Robert Buluma In 2009, deep beneath Iceland’s iconic Krafla volcano, a drilling team made history. During the IDDP-1 project, their drill bit pierced into magma molten rock at just two kilometers below the surface. What began as an accident became a scientific revelation. For the first time, humans had safely accessed magma. This “Eureka” moment gave birth to an idea so daring it almost sounds like science fiction: the creation of a permanent observatory where magma could be directly studied. That idea became the Krafla Magma Testbed (KMT) a visionary international project that promises to rewrite the future of geothermal science, volcanic monitoring, and sustainable energy. Why Krafla? The Perfect Laboratory Beneath Our Feet Krafla’s geology is unique. It offers a known shallow magma body, decades of research...

UGM Pioneers Geothermal Cooling: A Game-Changer for Sustainable Campus Buildings in Indonesia

Harnessing the Earth's Hidden Fire: UGM's Revolutionary Leap into Geothermal Cooling for a Cooler, Greener Indonesia Posted on December 14, 2025 | By Robert Buluma Picture this: It's a blistering afternoon in Jakarta, the kind where the humidity clings to your skin like a second layer, and the air conditioner hums relentlessly, devouring electricity powered by distant coal plants. The planet warms, sea levels rise, and our energy bills skyrocket. But what if the solution to cooling our cities lay not in the sky's fickle sun or the wind's whisper, but deep beneath our feet,in the simmering heat of the Earth itself? This isn't science fiction; it's the bold vision being championed by Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM), Indonesia's premier academic powerhouse, as they ignite a geothermal revolution for building cooling systems. In a move that's as groundbreaking as it is timely, UGM is spearheading the transition to clean energy by tapping into Indonesia...

Potsdam Goes Deep: How an All-Electric Drilling Rig Is Turning the City’s Heating Completely Fossil-Free

Revolutionizing Urban Heating: UGS GmbH's Pioneering Geothermal Project in Potsdam By: Robert Buluma In the heart of Germany’s energy transition, a quiet but powerful revolution is taking place in Potsdam. UGS GmbH, a German subsidiary of the French energy storage specialist Geostock, has begun a landmark geothermal project that could redefine how entire cities stay warm in winter ,without burning a single drop of oil or cubic meter of gas. The project, awarded by the local utility Energie und Wasser Potsdam GmbH (EWP), focuses on the former site of the HKW Süd combined heat and power plant in southern Potsdam. The goal is ambitious: replace the aging gas-fired plant with deep geothermal energy and other renewables, eventually supplying tens of thousands of households with completely CO₂-free district heating. At the center of this transformation stands a piece of machinery that looks like something from the future: UGS’s fully modernized, all-electric drilling rig “Rig 110”. After...

How the Constellation–Calpine Merger Pushed Geothermal Into the Baseload Spotlight

Constellation–Calpine Merger: Why Geothermal and Firm Clean Power Now Matter More Than Ever By: Robert Buluma The U.S. electricity sector is entering a defining moment, one where scale, regulatory scrutiny, and the search for firm clean power, are converging. The approval of Constellation’s $26.6 billion acquisition of Calpine is not just a headline-grabbing merger; it is a powerful signal about the future structure of power markets and the growing strategic value of geothermal energy and other always-on renewables. As federal regulators force divestments, allow unprecedented scale, and reassert antitrust authority, one question becomes unavoidable: **where does geothermal fit in a power system increasingly dominated by mega-utilities? The Deal,and Why It Matters for Clean Baseload To close the acquisition, Constellation agreed to divest six power plants and a minority stake in a seventh across Texas, Pennsylvania, and Delaware. These concessions were demanded by federal regulators c...

Search This Blog