When the world began to look for alternatives to coal and gas and nuclear for the generation of electricity, geothermal was one of the areas thought to have great potential. In a recent EnergyMonitor article, the use of geothermal energy has flat lined so to speak, with wind and solar taking the forefront of the quest for net-zero carbon emissions. The International Energy Agency (IEA) reports that in 2020, geothermal represented only 15 GW of electrical capacity whereas solar PV capacity was 737 GW. That is a factor of almost 50:1.
What is really interesting is that Sanjeev Kumar, head of policy at the European Geothermal Energy Council, an industry advocate group, says that half of all energy consumed in Europe is for heat and a quarter is for electricity. So, half the problem is not being addressed as it could be. This is where geothermal energy could help countries take giant leaps in reducing “heat decarbonization.” In fact, because of national restrictions on the burning of gas and oil for heat, geothermal heat networks supply 98% of the heat in Scandinavian cities.
This is not only a very well written and informative article, it also has a great many very interesting charts and graphs. Geothermal energy has too much potential to play a minor role in helping the world meet its net-zero goals while supplying the vital energy we need. – Dr. Tom
