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Geothermal industry welcomes new acceleration law, but calls for further measures for faster expansion
16.10.2024
According to the German Geothermal Energy Association, the Geothermal Acceleration Act is a "milestone". However, further measures are needed to implement projects significantly faster.
It is the first time that a "law has specifically taken geothermal energy into account", said Gregor Dilger, Managing Director of the German Geothermal Energy Association (BVG) in a digital press conference on October 15. He is referring to the draft law to speed up the approval process for geothermal plants, heat pumps and heat storage facilities (GeoWG), which will now be discussed by the Federal Council on October 18.
The BVG considers the creation of the first geothermal-specific parent law to be a "milestone", continued Dilger. "We are very pleased that geothermal energy is receiving strong support across party lines. There is a consensus in the democratic parties that the expansion of geothermal energy use should be accelerated". In particular, the industry association praises the establishment of the overriding public interest and the flexibilization and extension of the validity of operating plans as important measures in the GeoWG.
At the same time, Dilger called for further measures to be taken in order to achieve even greater acceleration. "We need the turbo. Sometimes there is a practical problem with implementation. Public land should therefore be made available so that heating plants and district heating pipes can be built and geothermal probes and collectors can be installed. Private landowners should also be obliged to tolerate the display of geophones for seismic measurements."
Geothermal industry calls for acceleration zones
In addition, acceleration zones should be designated, as already exist for wind and solar plants, in order to be able to carry out environmental impact assessments in advance. This would also speed up projects. However, reliability is needed for other municipalities and municipal utilities to venture into geothermal projects. "The investments, which are initially higher than for other technologies, must be able to be refinanced in the long term. Stable framework conditions are therefore needed." Dilger also believes that this includes securing exploration, which he says "could finally be in place" at the beginning of next year.
On September 4, the cabinet approved the legislative changes (we reported). According to the draft GeoWG, the government intends to halve the duration of the process in order to better exploit the energy potential of geothermal energy and to expand the climate-neutral heating and cooling supply through heat pumps. This is to be achieved through "digitalization requirements, shortening official deadlines for processing application documents and reducing approval requirements".
"Geothermal energy is a climate-neutral energy source that is inexhaustible by human standards and at the same time reliable and available throughout the year, which can also be used to cover high heat requirements," the draft bill states. However, this potential for a climate-neutral heat supply has so far been insufficiently tapped. According to the German government, less than two percent of heat is currently generated from geothermal energy and environmental heat. By February 2022, fewer than 50 deep geothermal energy projects with a thermal output of just under 350 MW had been realized, it continues.
Geothermal energy could secure heat supply nationwide
According to the BVG, around 3,000 MW, or around 150 projects for medium and deep geothermal energy, are currently in planning or under construction. The legal improvements that have now been initiated could give these projects a boost. However, the potential underground is much higher, as Ingo Sass explained. He is a professor at the German Research Center for Geosciences (GFZ) in Potsdam.
According to the expert, the demand for heat in Germany is 1,400 TWh per year. If the full potential of the technology were exploited, near-surface geothermal energy could contribute around 600 TWh and deep geothermal energy around 300 TWh. Sass: "We can therefore justifiably claim that geothermal energy could provide more than half of the heat demand - and all year round, as it is base-load capable."
The interest is certainly there, according to the BVG. This was also evident at the Geothermal Congress. Following a 50 percent increase in registrations last year, the association is expecting over 1,000 visitors this year. The congress begins on October 22 at the Kongresshotel Potsdam.
Author: HEIDI ROIDER
