PUBLISHED: 03/22/2023
EGEC's Annual Report 2022 looks back at the work of the organization and the performance of the European Geothermal sector over the past year, while it looks forward to the challenges ahead.
PUBLISHED: 03/9/2023
After including gas and nuclear in the EU taxonomy, does this now mean the EU institutions wish to see nuclear and fossil fuels as renewable energy sources?
PUBLISHED: 02/28/2023
The ongoing negotiations regarding the recast of the Energy Efficiency Directive (EED) hold great significance in realizing the Fit for 55 and REPowerEU objectives. The proposed legislation aims to expedite energy efficiency during this decade, which could potentially enhance the EU's energy independence while reducing energy expenses for businesses and citizens alike. Alongside representatives from both the supply and demand sectors, we express our concerns over the EU's 2030 energy efficiency target in primary energy, which is currently being questioned by the Council of the EU in their general approach to the EED. If the target is deprioritized by making it indicative, it could lead to the dismissal of the overall energy system's efficiency and its associated advantages, including reduced greenhouse gas emissions and lower energy costs for consumers. Read the full letter sent to Kadri Simson – European Commissioner for Energy, Ebba Busch – Swedish Minister for Energy, Business Industry and Deputy Prime Minister, and Niels Fuglsang – Member of the European Parliament. Full Letter here
PUBLISHED: 09/21/2022
The European Commission has focused on the electricity and gas aspects of the winter energy crisis. Now it is vital to focus on the critical yet often overlooked issue of heating. Heating is the largest source of European and global energy consumption yet it barely features in political discourse. However, heating buildings, services, industry, horticulture and aquaculture need solutions today in order to address the combined energy, climate, food security and economic crises.
PUBLISHED: 05/4/2022
The EGEC Annual Report 2021 looks back to the challenges and achievements of our association in the previous year, with a forward look to future ones.
PUBLISHED: 01/31/2022
The second half of 2021 witnessed a new energy crisis which led to skyrocketing electricity, oil and gas prices. For geothermal the story was different. Geothermal heating, cooling and power plants continued to provide baseload energy at competitive prices. In the midst of this, and potential military conflict and weeks after COP26 the European Commission proposed to increase the market share of imported fossils.
PUBLISHED: 08/30/2021
A briefing on recent and upcoming energy policy in the EU EGEC presents you its third Statement on the European energy policies and strategies, with a special topic: What does ambition mean in climate & energy policy?
PUBLISHED: 05/20/2021
PUBLISHED: 03/4/2021
The EGEC Annual Report 2020 looks back to the challenges and achievements of our association in the previous year, with a forward look to future ones.
PUBLISHED: 02/25/2021
Geothermal energy provides clean energy for sustainable agriculture, buildings, industry and transport. How much do you know about all this? Have a look at our brand-new brochure, where you can go through the basics of geothermal energy and its benefits.
PUBLISHED: 01/26/2021
A briefing on recent (the last 6 months) and upcoming energy policy in the EU and in some European countries. Last autumn the political agenda in Brussels has been fed with a series of new policy initiatives focusing on energy and climate: the European Commission's communications on the buildings renovation wave, the offshore strategy, the 2030 Climate Target Plan, and the legislation on TEN-E. The European Commission has also launched the revision of the Renewable Energy Directive and the Energy Efficiency Directive.
PUBLISHED: 12/15/2020
In the city of Brussels, there are over 50 large buildings powered by geothermal energy!
PUBLISHED: 09/3/2020
This Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda (SRIA) on geothermal heating and cooling technologies constitutes an update and blending text of the previous Geothermal Strategic Research Agenda (SRA) and subsequent Geothermal Implementation Roadmap.
PUBLISHED: 08/28/2020
This is the first in a series of annual perspectives on the orientation and effectiveness of EU energy and climate policy.
PUBLISHED: 07/3/2020
Download the full paper
PUBLISHED: 05/14/2020
The EGEC Annual Report 2019 looks back to the challenges and achievements of our association in the previous year, with a forward look to future ones.
PUBLISHED: 12/5/2019
Developing competitive value-chains in a mission-orientated EU industrial strategy must be a central goal of the European Green Deal. Priority should be given to activities that provide multiple benefits such as increased investment in deep geothermal energy production and geothermal lithium plants.
PUBLISHED: 09/13/2019
As the different EU Member States are drafting their National Energy and Climate Plans where they outline their policies for increasing the share of renewable energy, EGEC comes up with a set of country fiches to inform the debate about the prospects for geothermal energy across Europe.
PUBLISHED: 09/6/2019
The Innovation Fund is a European Financing programme that stems from the EU ETS, which aims to invest part of the revenues from the European carbon trading scheme to the development of innovative clean energy technologies.
PUBLISHED: 04/15/2019
PUBLISHED: 02/21/2019
The EGEC Annual Report 2018 looks back on the challenges and achievements of our association in the previous year, with a forward look to future ones.
PUBLISHED: 01/30/2019
With the coming of winter, snow and ice can cause delays and disruptions of private and public traffic. A geothermal snow-melting or de-icing system is a smart, local, cost efficient and environmentally-friendly solution.
PUBLISHED: 11/30/2018
For companies, security of supply is the key word for sourcing energy. Geothermal is a solution for companies looking to secure the supply of cost-competitive renewable energy. Many successful example are available, and with the right framework, corporate sourcing has the potential to unlock geothermal energy's potential.
PUBLISHED: 11/28/2018
OPEN LETTER EUROPEAN CALL FOR AN INCREASED USE OF GEOTHERMAL ENERGY Geothermal energy is the energy stored in the form of heat below the surface of solid earth. The deeper one penetrates the interior of the Earth, the warmer it becomes. It is inexhaustible by human standards and so far, it has been used only to a limited extent for heating, cooling and the generation of electricity.
PUBLISHED: 11/14/2018
Italian government putting 10,000 jobs at risk and jeopardizing green investment by cutting support to geothermal energy 14 novembre 2018 - The Italian government, in a draft decree that includes negotiation on new support schemes for renewables (Schema di decreto sull'incentivazione delle Fonti di Energia Rinnovabile, FER1), intends to unilaterally cut support to geothermal energy in the country, a vicious attack against an industry that was born in Italy, has nearly 1 GWe of baseload renewable electricity installed (producing 6.2 TWh/year), and employs 3,000 direct workers, in addition to around 7,000 indirect and induced local jobs.
PUBLISHED: 07/12/2018
The Electricity Market Regulation considers renewable power production only as a source of instability, due to the variable or intermittent production of PV and wind technologies. It introduces Capacity Remuneration Mechanisms for dispatchable or flexible generation able to provide grid services to stabilize an electricity market with high renewable penetration. Yet, the debate ignores the potential of flexible renewable production, i.e. geothermal, to provide such grid services.
PUBLISHED: 06/8/2018
In 2018, the negotiation process for the European Union’s post-2020 climate and energy framework is coming to an end. The discussion had recognised geothermal as a relevant energy source for the future of Europe. This year, EGEC celebrates its 20 years of activity. To mark the occasion, EGEC publishes a new declaration where we highlight the contribution of geothermal to the energy transition and the decarbonisation of the European economy.
PUBLISHED: 05/14/2018
European islands often face significant challenges when it comes to energy supply and energy costs. Due to geographic location, small economies of scale, and limited or absent interconnection to the mainland or to other islands, many islands are still heavily dependent upon costly imported fossil fuels to generate electricity or to meet their heating and cooling needs. Unlike other intermittent energy sources, geothermal energy could provide a stable, sustainable, and affordable energy supply for a wide variety of potential uses that are not restricted to electricity generation, but encompass many types of direct uses.
PUBLISHED: 03/26/2018
The EGEC Annual Report 2017 looks back on the challenges and achievements of our association in the previous year, with a forward look to future ones.
PUBLISHED: 02/1/2018
Brussels, 1st February 2018 – EGEC is pleased to announce the five endorsed nominations for the European Geothermal Innovation Award 2018. The final candidates are (in alphabetical order):
PUBLISHED: 12/12/2017
Geothermal heat pumps are an established technology that uses shallow geothermal energy, the heat stored beneath the earth surface, to supply space heating and cooling and sanitary hot water. They are very versatile and can be used in different kind of structures, from small, residential houses to large individual buildings or complexes of buildings, such as offices, hotels, schools, shopping centres, and so on.
PUBLISHED: 12/11/2017
Geothermal technologies can in many way contribute to the energy transition in regions with a long mining history. This fact sheet illustrates the potential for the technological transformation.
PUBLISHED: 11/28/2017
Geothermal sector supports MEP Blanco Lopez report on the Renewable Energy Directive adopted today and welcomes the high ambition on energy efficiency.
PUBLISHED: 11/28/2017
Brussels, 28 November 2017 – One year ago, the European Commission presented the Clean Energy for All Europeans legislative package, but it’s headline target of 27% renewable energy by 2030 fell short of its ambitions.
PUBLISHED: 11/28/2017
Renewable Heating & Cooling associations welcome the ambition level and call on the Council to uphold it.
PUBLISHED: 11/13/2017
Brussels, 9th of November 2017 – The trade associations representing key players in Europe’s energy transition urge policy makers to take a step-wise approach towards the market integration of small-scale renewable and high efficiency cogeneration installations.
PUBLISHED: 09/28/2017
The High-Level Conference of the Global Geothermal Alliance was a significant step that signaled the importance of geothermal for the transition towards clean energy. This meaningful event discussed in depth the main barriers faced by the geothermal sector, leading to a commitment shared by many governments to pursue a greater ambition for geothermal development. Click here to download the presentation by EGEC President Ruggero Bertani on “Strengthening enabling frameworks: Geothermal policy, regulation and finance”.
PUBLISHED: 09/26/2017
Geothermal technologies can contribute to the challenge of decarbonising cooling for a variety of demand profiles, in terms of temperature, capacity, and timing. They can be used in buildings for the residential and non-residential sector, as well as in the services and industrial sector.
PUBLISHED: 05/31/2017
Brussels, 31st May 2017 – The decarbonisation of the heating and cooling sector is moving to the forefront of the debate on EU’s climate and energy ambitions, with several voices, most notably MEP José Blanco López, Rapporteur on the Renewable Energy Directive, asking for more investments in renewable heating and cooling to stay in line with the targets set by the Paris Agreement. But what can be done to transform the ambition in practical goals?
PUBLISHED: 05/16/2017
Brussels, 16th May 2017 – EGEC, the European Geothermal Energy Council, has published the sixth edition of its annual study evaluating the development of the geothermal sector in Europe. The report shows that over the last five years (2012-2016), the use of geothermal energy, particularly for heat, has slowly but steadily increased across Europe.
PUBLISHED: 05/11/2017
Brussels, 11th May 2017 - EGEC has undergone a complete update of its visual identity and today unveiled its new logo and website.
PUBLISHED: 02/15/2017
Offenburg, 15th February 2017 - enOware GmbH received the European Geothermal Innovation Award 2017 during the opening session of GeoTHERM exhibition and Congress 2017 in Offenburg, Germany. The award was given for their miniaturised sensor which allows to professionally plan, monitor and measure near-surface geothermal probes.
PUBLISHED: 09/22/2016
The agricultural sector is a heavy energy consumer and greenhouse gas emitter which needs to be more sustainable, competitive, and to ensure food security. Much of the energy used by the industry is for low and medium level heat (less than 200°C), which is required at many stages of both production and treatment. Traditionally fossil fuels have been used, but fluctuating energy prices also expose the agri-food industry to risk. Geothermal is a solution for this fuel switch.
PUBLISHED: 02/25/2016
Offenburg, 25th February 2016 - Exergy was announced today as the winner of the European Geothermal Innovation Award 2016 during the opening session of GeoTHERM exhibition and Congress in Offenbourg, Germany. The award was given for the 2-pressure-level cycle on a single-disk turbine demonstrated in Denizli Tosunlar geothermal plant, Turkey.
PUBLISHED: 07/2/2015
PUBLISHED: 06/25/2015
The report contains information about regulation for shallow geothermal energy, tools for local authorities, and information about shallow geothermal and how it can be integrated into European communities.
PUBLISHED: 04/8/2015
An action plan for a Resilient Energy Union with a Forward-Looking Climate Change Policy. As a result of the recent crisis in Ukraine and the following geopolitical tensions with Russia, the issue of energy security is back to being a top priority for European leaders. Digging into data, Europe suddenly discovers that it is vulnerable to external shocks, it is the largest energy importer in the world, and that it wastes more than 1 billion a day in imports.
PUBLISHED: 03/8/2015
The EU aims to become number one in renewables, according to European Commission’s President Juncker. Already a leader in both renewable electricity and heating and cooling, Europe now faces fierce global competition.
PUBLISHED: 01/6/2015
Geothermal District Heating (GeoDH) is the use of geothermal energy to provide heat to buildings and industry through a distribution network. Download the Guide to Developing Geothermal District Heating In Europe.
PUBLISHED: 12/12/2014
