The Geothermal market report for Europe

Abstract

EGEC publishes each year a market report to evaluate the development of the shallow and deep geothermal sector in Europe. The 2015 issue of this market report shows that interesting new projects have emerged. Some of the key findings are:
•Electricity: Sixteen new power plants became operational in 2014-2015, increasing the installed capacity in Europe by 363 MWe. The total installed capacity in Europe is now 2285 MWe, producing some 12 TWh of electric power in 2014.
•District Heating: Twenty three new systems have been installed in six European countries in 2014-2015, increasing the installed capacity by 281.8 MWth. The total installed capacity in Europe is now ca. 4700 MWth, with 13000 GWh th/year used for heating.
•Shallow Geothermal: For shallow geothermal energy (ground source heat pumps and Underground Thermal Energy Storage), the installation growth rate is spectacular; a capacity of at least 19, 000 MWth was achieved at end of 2015, distributed in over more than 1.4Mio installations.
In the whole debate, the potential of geothermal energy does not yet receive enough attention. We need a stronger focus on geothermal as a reliable contribution helping to reach Europe’s climate and energy targets. With this market report, EGEC calls again for a level playing field, and the recognition of geothermal advantages: being a renewable, local, base load, and flexible source of energy.