Tue, 27 August, 2024
A new paper, ‘Opportunities and Challenges of Geothermal Energy: A Comparative Analysis of Three European Cases—Belgium, Iceland, and Italy,’ has been published as part of the MDPI Energies' special issue on Renewable Energy and Energy Storage Systems.
Geothermal energy has been highlighted as a unique energy source that could help with the clean energy transition and energy independence, supporting energy needs for heating and electricity as part of a wider energy policy mix.
Past studies have investigated the opportunities and challenges associated with renewable energy, but this is the first paper to concentrate on geothermal energy use in three distinct countries; Italy, Belgium and Iceland.
The paper took semi-structured interviews covering stakeholders from academia, policymaking, industry and the citizenship to find unique and common opportunities and barriers for the geothermal sector.
Challenges shared by those across the sector include financial barriers, regulatory complexities, environmental issues, and the need to improve the social acceptability of geothermal energy.
Despite these challenges, geothermal energy remains a promising energy source for clean transition that could create opportunities such as improved household welfare through combined uses in district heating and electricity, providing the potential to generate employment opportunities too.
You can see the paper in full on the MDPI website, here.