Overview and perspectives on shallow geothermal energy in Belgium

Abstract

The current energy transition towards Renewable Energy Sources (RES) in Europe is mainly driven in Belgium by wind turbines and photovoltaic panels. However Ground Source Heat Pumps (GSHP) has not yet reached the full attention of Belgian authorities and customers while the potentialities in the country for heating/cooling market by GSHP for housing and micro- to medium-sized enterprises are important. The specificities of the Belgian market, especially the attractiveness to install GSHP for individual housing is related to various socio-economic factors. The main barrier to the relatively slow growth rate with respect to other forms of RES can be partially explained by the estimated extra-cost. This is due to frequent overdimensioning of shallow geothermal systems during the design phase. These overestimations could be addressed by the improvement of data accuracy of thermal parameters of geological formations in Belgium. Various geothermal projects acting for the development of shallow geothermal energy, as well as its perspectives tackles the different technical and administrative barriers.