Researchers stress geothermal’s potential in Germany's municipalities

Heat from the earth’s crust will play a central role in making Germany’s heat supply climate friendly and municipalities should make use of it, a group of researchers led by the Institute for Applied Geophysics (LIAG) stated.

Local authorities throughout Germany are in the process of drawing up their municipal heat plans, detailing how they are going to transition to climate-neutral heating systems in their jurisdictions. Large cities have until 2026 to provide these plans, while small towns have a later deadline of 2028.

Geothermal energy is a clean heat source available throughout the year. It could meet 25 percent of Germany's heat demand, according to a 2024 report by NGO Deutsche Umwelthilfe (DUH). There are some risks in tapping into the source, including minor earthquakes and effects on groundwater.

The group under the WärmeGut research project has now drawn up Germany’s first map indicating regions where near-surface geothermal energy is suitable or not. The map is intended to inform specialist companies as well as local authorities on whether there are restricting factors for geothermal projects in their area in a clear and simple format. The maps can be used to calculate the usable heat energy for a specific location.

“Without geothermal energy, the heat transition cannot succeed,” project lead Inga Moeck said. “We expect this map to draw attention to geothermal energy as a measure in municipal heat planning and to give a decisive boost to both the energy transition and scientific geothermal research.”

Germany’s cabinet recently agreed to label geothermal projects as having an “overriding public interest” to speed up their construction. The goal is to grow geothermal energy output to 10 gigawatt hours per year by 2030. Associations called the draft law a “key lever” to ramp up the climate friendly heat supply.