{"id":671985,"date":"2025-05-28T12:44:37","date_gmt":"2025-05-28T09:44:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/can-geothermal-startups-drill-europe-to-clean-energy-independence\/"},"modified":"2025-05-28T12:44:37","modified_gmt":"2025-05-28T09:44:37","slug":"can-geothermal-startups-drill-europe-to-clean-energy-independence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/can-geothermal-startups-drill-europe-to-clean-energy-independence\/","title":{"rendered":"Can geothermal startups drill Europe to clean energy independence?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a3f8d50d3a2d\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a3f8d50d3a2d\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/can-geothermal-startups-drill-europe-to-clean-energy-independence\/#Giant_underground_radiator\" >Giant underground radiator\u00a0<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/can-geothermal-startups-drill-europe-to-clean-energy-independence\/#Untapped_potential\" >Untapped potential<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/can-geothermal-startups-drill-europe-to-clean-energy-independence\/#Drilling_deep\" >Drilling deep<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/can-geothermal-startups-drill-europe-to-clean-energy-independence\/#Shallower_ground\" >Shallower ground<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/can-geothermal-startups-drill-europe-to-clean-energy-independence\/#A_geothermal_revival\" >A geothermal revival?\u00a0<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<div id=\"article-main-content\">\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In the wooded hills south of Munich, Germany, engineers are drilling 8 km down in a bid to harvest limitless clean energy from Earth\u2019s molten, radioactive core. The project could offer a blueprint for cost-effective geothermal energy extraction, helping Europe power cities, heat homes, and reduce its reliance on fossil fuels.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The drill belongs to Canadian company Eavor, one of a new crop of startups working to make geothermal a serious player in the energy <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/game\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"7\" title=\"Game\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">game<\/a>.\u00a0Armed with an arsenal of plasma pulse drills, steel shot cannons, and robot worms, they plan to unlock Earth\u2019s heat almost anywhere on the planet.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Traditional geothermal plants rely on rare underground reservoirs of superheated water, like in Iceland or parts of Italy. Eavor\u2019s system, on the other hand, only requires <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">hot rocks, a closed loop of pipe, and some clever thermodynamics. But for it to work, depth is key.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cOur system works like a radiator, but instead of radiating heat, it conducts it from superheated rocks,\u201d Robert Winsloe, executive vice president at Eavor, tells TNW. \u201cBy going deep enough, we can harvest heat from almost any location without the need for subterranean aquifers.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<figure class=\"post-image post-mediaBleed aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1413840 size-full js-lazy\" alt=\"eavor-geretsried-geothermal\" width=\"1024\" height=\"550\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2025\/05\/eavor-de-projekte-geretsried-1024x550-1.jpg\"\/><figcaption>Eavor\u2019s geothermal project in Gereitsreid, Germany. Credit: Eavor Deutschland<\/figcaption><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1413840 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2025\/05\/eavor-de-projekte-geretsried-1024x550-1.jpg\" alt=\"eavor-geretsried-geothermal\" width=\"1024\" height=\"550\" srcset=\"\"\/><\/figure>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Giant_underground_radiator\"><\/span><b>Giant underground radiator\u00a0<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<div class=\"inarticle-wrapper latest channel-cta hs-embed-tnw\">\n<div id=\"hs-embed-tnw\" class=\"channel-cta-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"channel-cta-img\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"js-lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com\/tnw.events\/hardfork-2018\/uploads\/visuals\/tnw-newsletter.png\"\/><\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com\/tnw.events\/hardfork-2018\/uploads\/visuals\/tnw-newsletter.png\"\/><\/p>\n<div class=\"channel-cta-input\">\n<p class=\"channel-cta-title\">The \ud83d\udc9c of EU tech<\/p>\n<p class=\"channel-cta-tagline\">The latest rumblings from the EU tech scene, a story from our wise ol&#8217; founder Boris, and some questionable AI art. It&#8217;s free, every week, in your inbox. Sign up now!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Eavor\u2019s geothermal plant aims to replace natural gas with clean heat in Geretsried, a Bavarian town of 25,000 people.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To build its underground heat engine, Eavor drills straight down 4,500 meters \u2014 deep enough to reach rock simmering at 160\u00b0C. Then it makes a sideways move, branching out horizontally for another 3,000 to 3,500 meters, before looping back up through a second vertical well. The result is a massive, closed-loop circuit sealed off from the Earth around it.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Inside the loop, water flows in a constant cycle. As it goes down, it heats up from the hot rock deep underground. That hot water then rises on its own, while cooler water from above moves down to take its place. This natural flow \u2014 called a thermosiphon \u2014 keeps everything moving without the need for pumps. That makes the system more energy efficient.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><figure class=\"post-image post-mediaBleed alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-1413841 js-lazy\" alt=\"eavor-loop-geothermal-startups\" width=\"1640\" height=\"923\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2025\/05\/eavor-loop-geothermal-startups.webp\"\/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-1413841\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2025\/05\/eavor-loop-geothermal-startups.webp\" alt=\"eavor-loop-geothermal-startups\" width=\"1640\" height=\"923\" srcset=\"\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">At the surface, the hot water flows through a heat exchanger \u2014 a device that transfers its heat without mixing the water itself. Inside the exchanger, the heat from the geothermal water is passed on to a separate water network connected to the district heating system. When summer hits and heating demand drops, the system flips modes: some of that underground heat is diverted to a steam turbine, which converts it into electricity.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The \u20ac370mn project kicked off drilling in July 2023 and already has serious backing: \u20ac91.6mn from the EU\u2019s Innovation Fund and a \u20ac45mn loan from the European Investment Bank. Eavor aims to generate the first power from the site by the end of 2025.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cAll eyes are on Geretsried,\u201d says Sanjeev Kumar, head of policy at the European Geothermal Energy Council. \u201cIf it works, it could seriously move the needle on geothermal.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Untapped_potential\"><\/span><b>Untapped potential<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Europe has long been at the forefront of t<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>ing heat from below our feet. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Romans first exploited geothermal energy over 2,000 years ago to warm royal villas. In <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Larderello, Italy,<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> the world\u2019s first industrial geothermal power plant was switched on in 1911. Iceland, by the 1930s, had turned its superheated pools of volcanic water into a district-wide energy source.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Yet today, geothermal only supplies 0.2% of Europe\u2019s electricity and 0.7% of its heat. That\u2019s a tiny slice compared to <\/span><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theprogressplaybook.com\/2025\/01\/07\/eu-power-sector-emissions-fall-sharply-again-in-2024-as-renewables-advance\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">wind and solar<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But geothermal energy offers something those renewables cannot: always-on, baseload power that balances the grid when the wind isn\u2019t blowing or the sun isn\u2019t shining. Geothermal plants also cover far less land than the equivalent solar farm or wind park. There\u2019s another edge too \u2014 it can deliver heat as well as electricity, making it a powerful tool for replacing natural gas, a fact that hasn\u2019t gone unnoticed among Europe\u2019s politicians.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cRussia\u2019s invasion of Ukraine has changed everything,\u201d says Kumar. \u201cEurope is now piling into geothermal as it looks for sovereign, clean sources of energy.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<figure class=\"post-image post-mediaBleed aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1413838 size-full js-lazy\" alt=\"geothermal-energy-plant-ital\" width=\"1584\" height=\"960\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2025\/05\/Foto-HD-geotermia-larderello-storia.png\"\/><figcaption>The Larderello geothermal power plant under construction in Tuscany in the 1910s. Credit: Enel Green Power<\/figcaption><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1413838 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2025\/05\/Foto-HD-geotermia-larderello-storia.png\" alt=\"geothermal-energy-plant-ital\" width=\"1584\" height=\"960\" srcset=\"\"\/><\/figure>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">According to the International Energy Agency, geothermal energy could meet humanity\u2019s electricity needs 150 times over. But for now, it remains expensive and geographically limited. Traditional systems can only tap into pockets of land where hot water naturally rises close to the surface. And concerns over earthquake risks from underground drilling still hang over the sector.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Eavor wants to disrupt the status quo and unlock this potential \u2014 and it\u2019s not alone. There are currently over 100 geothermal startups working to make geothermal cheaper and safer. For many, the sole focus is to invent faster, more powerful drills \u2014 and turn the economics in geothermal\u2019s favour.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Drilling_deep\"><\/span><b>Drilling deep<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One company striving to reinvent the geothermal drill is Slovakia\u2019s GA Drilling.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> The startup has built a rig that combines a traditional diamond-tipped drill with an electrical device that blasts hard rock with ultra-hot \u201cplasma pulses.\u201d These discharges weaken underground formations, making it easier for the drill to break through hard bedrock.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cThe key to scaling geothermal is getting drill costs down,\u201d says Matus Gajdos, the company\u2019s h<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">ead of product. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He claims the plasma pulse drill could bore at twice the speed of standard equipment, depending on the underlying geology. That could make tapping Earth\u2019s heat more viable.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<figure class=\"post-image post-mediaBleed aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1413796 size-full js-lazy\" alt=\"ga-drilling-geothermal\" width=\"998\" height=\"1441\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2025\/05\/ga-drilling-geothermal.jpg\"\/><figcaption>GA drilling\u2019s rig in testing. Like most geothermal startups, it repurposes skills and equipment from the oil and gas industry. Credit: GA Drilling<\/figcaption><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1413796 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2025\/05\/ga-drilling-geothermal.jpg\" alt=\"ga-drilling-geothermal\" width=\"998\" height=\"1441\" srcset=\"\"\/><\/figure>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The company\u2019s ultimate goal is to reach depths of 10km or more \u2014 almost as far as the <\/span><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/future\/article\/20190503-the-deepest-hole-we-have-ever-dug\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">deepest hole<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> ever dug. At these depths, water gets so hot it becomes \u201csupercritical,\u201d meaning it\u2019s both a liquid and a gas at the same time. This superheated water could potentially enable geothermal systems to extract 10 times <\/span><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2024-10-scientists-explore-geothermal-energy-potential.html#google_vignette\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">more energy<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> from deep, hot rock formations.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, GA Drilling is starting at more moderate depths. The company is currently in talks to drill a 6km well in the Netherlands in 2026. It is also eyeing a second project to power a data centre in the country.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Once proven in the field, the company plans to license its tech to fellow startups like Eavor as well as oil and gas companies. \u201cIt\u2019s difficult to make it in geothermal without oil and gas,\u201d Gajdos admits.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The founding teams of most geothermal startups, including Eavor, began their careers in the fossil fuel industry. The technical expertise in drilling, reservoir management, and subsurface engineering is directly transferable. Now, many of them are using their expertise to pursue cleaner avenues.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<figure class=\"post-image post-mediaBleed aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1413797 size-full js-lazy\" alt=\"Canopus Drilling's founder Jan Jette Blang\u00e9 (right) and the startup's director Diederik Wawoe both used to work at Dutch oil giant Shell before pivoting to geothermal. Credit: Canopus Drilling\" width=\"1536\" height=\"1025\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2025\/05\/230306-Canopus-IQ-10-1536x1025-1.jpg\"\/><figcaption>Canopus Drilling\u2019s founder Jan Jette Blang\u00e9 (right) and the startup\u2019s director Diederik Wawoe both used to work at Dutch oil giant Shell before pivoting to geothermal. Credit: Canopus Drilling<\/figcaption><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1413797 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2025\/05\/230306-Canopus-IQ-10-1536x1025-1.jpg\" alt=\"Canopus Drilling's founder Jan Jette Blang\u00e9 (right) and the startup's director Diederik Wawoe both used to work at Dutch oil giant Shell before pivoting to geothermal. Credit: Canopus Drilling\" width=\"1536\" height=\"1025\" srcset=\"\"\/><\/figure>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Canopus Drilling, a Dutch startup founded by ex-Shell executive Jan Jette Blang\u00e9, is resurrecting a shelved oil-and-gas <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/technology\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"4\" title=\"Technology\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">technology<\/a>. Its diamond drill fires tiny steel balls \u2014 or \u201cshots\u201d \u2014 to fracture rock, while a steerable bit helps navigate horizontal wells. Early tests suggest the tech could <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/trip-and-travel\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"10\" title=\"Trip &amp; Travel\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">trip<\/a>le heat extraction per borehole.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But not all geothermal has to go deep.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Shallower_ground\"><\/span><b>Shallower ground<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While geothermal energy often conjures up images of boiling pools or steam erupting from a surface power plant, tapping Earth\u2019s heat is often less, well, hot. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Geothermal or ground-source heat pumps, which use stable temperatures underground to heat homes in winter and cool them in summer, don\u2019t need extreme depths or temperatures to work.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cIn many European countries, at a depth of 250 metres, you have an average temperature of 14\u00b0C,\u201d <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Moritz Pill, co-founder at Swiss startup Borobotics, previously told TNW<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. \u201cThis is ideal for efficient heating in winter, while still being cold enough to cool the building in summer.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Borobotics has developed an autonomous drilling machine \u2014 dubbed the<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u201c<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">world\u2019s most powerful worm<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201d <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2014 that promises to cut the costs of drilling holes for geothermal heat pump installations.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<figure class=\"post-image post-mediaBleed aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1411898 size-full js-lazy\" alt=\"borobotics-team-swiss-startup-geothermal-\" width=\"1640\" height=\"1519\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2025\/01\/borobotics-team-swiss-startup-geothermal-.jpg\"\/><figcaption>The Borobotics team, based in Zurich, standing next to their robotic worm. Credit: Borobotics<\/figcaption><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1411898 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2025\/01\/borobotics-team-swiss-startup-geothermal-.jpg\" alt=\"borobotics-team-swiss-startup-geothermal-\" width=\"1640\" height=\"1519\" srcset=\"\"\/><\/figure>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ground-source pumps don\u2019t generate electricity, but they\u2019re highly efficient and relatively easy to install, especially in Europe\u2019s radiator-equipped homes.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As part of its \u20ac300bn REPowerEU plan, the EU aims to install 43 million new heat pumps by 2030. Borobotics\u2019 tech could make that target easier \u2014 and cheaper \u2014 to hit.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Torsten Kolind, founder of investment firm Underground Energy Ventures, sees a role for both deep and shallow geothermal in Europe\u2019s future energy mix. \u201cEurope\u2019s well-positioned to deploy geothermal, and with energy security a top priority, they really ought to,\u201d he says.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"A_geothermal_revival\"><\/span><b>A geothermal revival?\u00a0<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Across Europe, politicians are slowly warming up to the potential of geothermal.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">France plans to double geothermal production by 2028. The Netherlands wants to nearly triple output by 2030, mainly to warm its greenhouses. Germany aims to boost geothermal heating tenfold by 2030, to 10 terawatt-hours a year.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Most of this new heat will go into homes, not power plants. That\u2019s because district heating systems and radiator-based infrastructure already exist in much of Europe. Heat also requires lower temperatures than electricity, making it cheaper to produce. Heating makes up half of the EU\u2019s total energy consumption and about 30% of its CO2 emissions.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While channelling heat from Earth\u2019s core to warm our homes may seem like low-hanging fruit, challenges remain. Building geothermal plants is still expensive, despite the innovations in the pipeline. And without sufficient government backing, geothermal remains a risky bet for investors.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To lower the stakes, Kolind says governments should offer geothermal developers feed-in tariffs, which would guarantee a set price for heat or electricity produced<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. The German government has provided a positive example, granting Eavor a generous price of \u20ac252 per megawatt of electricity produced at the Gereitsreid site until 2042. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Such incentives have proved <\/span><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ey.com\/en_dk\/insights\/government-public-sector\/six-ways-that-governments-can-drive-the-green-transition\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">remarkably effective<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> at boosting solar and wind deployment.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Public perception also remains a hurdle. In Switzerland, a 2006 project triggered earthquakes and was <\/span><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2009\/12\/11\/science\/earth\/11basel.html#:~:text=A%20%2460%20million%20project%20to,project%2C%20led%20by%20Markus%20O.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">shut down<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. That project used fracking \u2014 a technique borrowed from the oil and gas industry, which injects water to crack rock and release heat.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Fervo Energy, backed by Bill Gates, is pursuing similar techniques in the US. But Eavor avoids fracking entirely. \u201cThe chance our technology causes earthquakes is zero to none,\u201d says executive vice president Winsloe.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If the risks can be managed, the upside is massive. The IEA estimates geothermal could provide 15% of global energy by 2050, up from just 1% today.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If the new generation of geothermal startups can prove their tech works at scale, they could spark a new era of clean energy \u2014 one where the Earth powers itself.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMN63nwsw68G3Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more like this article, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/category\/technology\/\" target=\"_blank\" >Technology category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/thenextweb.com\/news\/geothermal-energy-startups-europe-energy-security\" target=\"_blank\" >Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In the wooded hills south of Munich, Germany, engineers are drilling 8 km down in a bid to harvest limitless clean energy from Earth\u2019s molten, radioactive core. The project could offer a blueprint for cost-effective geothermal energy extraction, helping Europe power cities, heat homes, and reduce its reliance on fossil fuels.\u00a0 The drill belongs to&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":671986,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/img-cdn.tnwcdn.com\/image\/tnw-blurple?filter_last=1&fit=1280%2C640&url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn0.tnwcdn.com%2Fwp-content%2Fblogs.dir%2F1%2Ffiles%2F2025%2F05%2FKrafla_geothermal_power_.jpg&signature=4ac1a4dffb9557368ce74ecefaf9c96d","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-671985","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/671985","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=671985"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/671985\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/671986"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=671985"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=671985"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=671985"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}