PUBLISHED: 04/24/2024
On April 24, Invest-NL, the National Promotional Institute of the Netherlands, released a report to explore opportunities for scaling geothermal energy in the Netherlands. This report, prepared by EGEC and WEP, delves into the geothermal landscape, focusing on key European countries including Germany, Denmark, and France, to provide invaluable insights for the market in the Netherlands.
PUBLISHED: 04/17/2024
Brussels, 17th April 2024 – The European Committee of the Regions’ plenary adopted its Opinion entitled “On the role of geothermal in localising energy production”, led by József Ribányi from the European Conservatives & Reformist Group (ECR), with nearly total support.
PUBLISHED: 04/3/2024
The EGEC Annual Report 2023 provides a comprehensive overview of the organisation's activities for the year and highlights the significant achievements in the European geothermal sector. Published annually, EGEC's Annual Report serves as a crucial document that reflects EGEC's policy achievements over the past year and sets out the main lines of action for the foreseeable future. The year 2023 witnessed an unprecedented development of the geothermal sector, fuelled by crucial initiatives and legislative milestones. EGEC crossed the 200-member milestone and, with an expanded membership, remains firmly committed to shaping the geothermal decade. In 2024, against the backdrop of electoral changes both in the European Union and globally, EGEC maintains a strong focus on the development of geothermal energy. We believe that you will find the EGEC Annual Report 2023 an informative and useful source of information. The full report is available below: EGEC Annual Report 2023 (best for reading) EGEC Annual Report 2023 (best for printing)
PUBLISHED: 02/6/2024
Brussels, 6th February 2024 – The European Geothermal Energy Council (EGEC) welcomes the European Commission's Communication on the climate target 2040. However, we are concerned that Communication and modelling do not provide adequate coverage of the requirements for heat decarbonisation and overlook the vital role of geothermal heating, cooling, electricity, storage (thermal and electrical) or sustainable lithium extraction.
PUBLISHED: 01/18/2024
Brussels, 18h January 2024 – The European Parliament’s Plenary voted on a resolution, led by Professor Krasnodębski MEP from the European Conservatives & Reformist Group (ECR), to support a European geothermal energy strategy. 531 of the 553 Members of the European Parliament present (96%) voted in favour of the resolution with 20 abstentions and 2 voting against. The resolution calls for: A European strategy for geothermal energy to reduce administrative burdens and aid investments in buildings, industry and agricultural sectors across the Union. A Geothermal Industrial Alliance to fast-track best practices and the effective implementation of legislation. A harmonised financial risk mitigation insurance scheme. Encourage Member States to design national strategies for geothermal like those by the French, German, Polish, Austrian, Croatian and Irish governments. Support regions in transition and coal regions to transition to geothermal. Philippe Dumas, Secretary General of the European Geothermal Energy Council, said, “The European Parliament has put geothermal energy firmly on the EU policy radar. The European Commission cannot ignore such a powerful endorsement”. “We warmly thank the leadership of Professor Krasnodębski, his team, and the shadows on the resolution for their desire to make the energy transition affordable and accessible to everyone,” he added. During the Plenary debate held on 17 January, Didier Reynders, Commissioner for Justice, stated that the consensus among all political groups during the debate before the vote was “remarkable” and added that geothermal district heating “can provide affordable energy to cities” to facilitate mass transition to renewables. On the lack of political visibility for geothermal energy, Professor Krasnodębski MEP confirmed that he was “Delighted this debate and this report are part of this promotion campaign for geothermal”. Pernille Weiss MEP added that we need “A strategy that’s not just about goals but also tools”. Ville Niinistö MEP stated “Future legislation will be a key role in developing this sector and unlocking its potential”. Commenting on the Aarhus geothermal energy project, which will provide for 36,000 homes, Niels Fuglsang MEP commented on geothermal being a resource “that helps us liberate ourselves from our dependency on gas from Putin”. Morten Pedersen MEP said this was “A huge step forward for geothermal energy”. Marina Measure MEP suggested that retraining fossil fuel workers “learn the skills of geothermal energy” would help a just transition for workers as well as communities. Nicolás Gonzalez Casares MEP, rapporteur on the Electricity Market Design legislation, stated “We have to see a greater rollout of geothermal energy”. Hildegard Bentele MEP, rapporteur for the European Strategy of Critical Raw Materials, referred to the importance of the geothermal strategy adopted by the city of Berlin, and added “Having a European strategy would be a very important signal to send” to regulators and investors. Maria Carvalho MEP, rapporteur on the Protection against market manipulation in the wholesale energy market legislation, stated that geothermal was “A very valuable resource’. Beatrice Covassi MEP referred to geothermal as a “Precious source of energy for Europe”. Nicola Danti MEP added that geothermal energy made “Our union safer and richer.” Sean Kelly MEP added, the “Commission must take a leadership role to make geothermal more prominent across Europe”. Franc Bogivič MEP mentioned that a 3rd of the tourism in Slovenia centres on geothermal and that it has a “very brilliant future” Maxette Pirbakas MEP referred to geothermal as a “goldmine”. ENDS…… Full Press Release. About EGEC – European Geothermal Energy Council The European Geothermal Energy Council (EGEC) is a not-for-profit organisation promoting all aspects of the geothermal industry. Founded in 1998, its objective is to facilitate awareness and expansion of geothermal applications across Europe by shaping policy, improving investment conditions and steering research. It has over 200 members from 30 countries, ranging from developers to equipment manufacturers, energy providers, national associations, consultants, research centres, geological surveys, government agencies, departments and public authorities. This allows EGEC to represent the entire geothermal sector. EGEC is listed in the European Transparency Register No. 11458103335-07 For more information visit www.egec.org.
PUBLISHED: 11/21/2023
The European Technology & Innovation Platform on Geothermal (ETIP-G) is pleased to announce the release of its Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda for Geothermal technologies. This R&I agenda aims to shape the strategic plan for research and innovation (R&I) in the geothermal sector and to outline research priorities for the upcoming decades. The European Union (EU) has implemented several legislative measures to guide the energy transition in the last few years. Geothermal energy is a distinct and pivotal form of renewable energy, and its capabilities encompass electric generation, heating, cooling, hot water provision and thermal underground storage for short and seasonal storage. The imperative to respond effectively to the climate crisis, ensure energy supply resilience, and offer accessible energy necessitates our journey toward a climate-neutral economy by 2050. To be successful in these endeavours, R&I of improved next-generation geothermal systems and technologies are key for new applications, markets, and meeting deployment in the EU for the 2050 milestone. The Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda (SRIA) recommends actions and research priorities that should be addressed to achieve the key technological and transversal challenges that could make the vision a solid reality between now and 2050. “The ETIP geothermal members have done immense work to write this Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda on geothermal technologies. I want to thank all of them. The merger with the RHC-Plaform geothermal panel from 2023 has even strengthened the power of the ETIP and made it a unique and relevant platform for geothermal R&I. Developing these technologies will make geothermal the key energy source of the transition towards climate neutrality by 2050. Geothermal technologies are a solution for the electricity system, the heating and cooling supply, the system integration with thermal underground storage, and the sustainable extraction of minerals such as lithium. Geothermal will support local economic development and security of energy supply in a sustainable way.” Fausto Batini, ETIP Geothermal President. The SET Plan Geothermal IWG estimates that current annual investment, both public and private, in national and transnational research and innovation projects in the geothermal sector needs to be tripled from €100 million to €300 million by 2030 in order for Europe to reach its goals on transitioning to renewable energy sources. This is in line with the ambitions and the potential for geothermal energy. Therefore, ETIP Geothermal would like to request more funding for geothermal research and innovation in WP 2025 – 2027 in order to properly implement the key climate & energy, and industrial policies. Download the Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda for Geothermal.
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
