Page 56 - European Energy Innovation - Winter 2016 publication
P. 56
56 Winter 2016 European Energy Innovation
GEOTHERMAL INNOVATION
Leading a Revolution in
Deep Geothermal Innovation
By Valentina Pinzuti, European Geothermal Energy Council
AEuropean Technology in Europe amounts to around 2.2 GWe, EU’s Research and Innovation strategy
and Innovation platform of which 0.95 GWe is in the EU, and it for coming years, the European
(ETIP) working on the is expected to reach 3.5 GWe in 2018, Commission has recognised the
development of deep mainly thanks to the very promising European Technology and Innovation
geothermal energy in Europe has Turkish market. Platforms (ETIPs) as an important
recently been established in the tool to strengthen cooperation with
framework of the European Strategic The relevant resources, though, are far Stakeholders.
Energy Technology Plan (SET-Plan). from being fully developed.
Made up of stakeholders from industry, It is in this framework that the
research and policy, the overarching Recent modelling results by the JRC- geothermal sector created, in March
objective of the new Deep Geothermal EU-TIMES model predict geothermal 2016, a European Technology
ETIP is to identify the ways in which power production of 540 TWh in 2050 and Innovation Platform on Deep
new technologies and methods will under a long term decarbonisation Geothermal, which was then officially
shape the future of geothermal and scenario. This would mean that recognised by the European
how they can be cost-effectively geothermal power could provide 12.5 Commission, DG RTD, as an ETIP in
bought to market, allowing more % of the EU electricity demand while July 2016.
citizens to benefit from this renewable, exploiting about 20 % of the available
stable resource. geothermal technical potential. This The Deep Geothermal ETIP is an
market share might be increased open stakeholder group, including
THE STATUS OF DEEP GEOTHERMAL significantly if cost reductions representatives from industry,
Geothermal energy is a valuable associated with drilling will be realised. academia, research centres, and
and local source of energy that can sectoral associations, covering the
cost-effectively provide base- load/ Geothermal energy has an excellent entire deep geothermal energy
dispatchable electricity, heat or a potential in Europe, and in a number exploration, production and utilisation
combination of both. It has great of NREAP (National Renewable Energy value chain. Its mission is to provide a
potential as a renewable source, not Action Plan) there are ambitious, framework for stakeholders to define
only in Europe but also globally, and yet far to be reached, targets for it. and implement an innovation strategy
in particular in some developing Recent technological developments to increase the use of geothermal and
countries. Its potential is inexhaustible have made it possible to cost- to foster the growth and the market
in human terms, comparable to that of effectively produce electricity from uptake of the relevant European
the sun. geothermal energy with fluids at industries.
lower temperatures and there is an
Deep geothermal energy, which can increasing awareness of the potential The purpose of the platform is to
be directly used as heat or converted of geothermal heat, but in order to enable deep geothermal technology,
into electricity, is nowadays directly allow geothermal energy to fully meet and in particular Enhanced
used, depending on its temperature, in its potential in the renewable energy Geothermal Systems (EGS), to
a number of sectors: from bathing and mix it is necessary to tackle some proliferate and move from the current
swimming to industry, agriculture and issues to improve performance and European R&D and pilot-sites to other
district heating, this latter being the reduce costs, and make widespread European countries and different
most promising sector for geothermal implementation possible. geological situations. The primary
heat. In Europe there are 257 objective is overall cost reduction,
geothermal district heating systems, DEEP GEOTHERMAL ETIP including social, environmental and
with total installed capacity of 4.6 The European Commission’s Energy technological costs.
GWth (EGEC, Market Report 2015). Union strategy, adopted in February
2015, dedicates one of its five These goals are addressed by the
According to the EGEC Market Report dimensions to research, innovation strategic targets of the Declaration of
Update, in 2015 the installed capacity and competitiveness. Under the Intent on Deep Geothermal Energy,
for geothermal electricity generation integrated SET-Plan, which defines the adopted in September 2016, which are:
www.europeanenergyinnovation.eu
