District heating in Europe benefits from geothermal energy
On 13 and 14 March, the partners of the Green4HEAT project met in Győr, Hungary, to explore the geothermal energy potential in EU territories. The event brought the partners together to discuss how to maximise the territorial use of geothermal energy and identify effective policy pathways to promote the uptake and expansion of geothermal technology use cases. The event began with an introduction to geothermal energy and its role as a sustainable and reliable solution for heating applications. Participants explored the integration of geothermal energy into modern district heating networks, emphasising its scalability and adaptability to different heating needs. Practical examples of geothermal heating systems across Europe were presented and the challenges at the local level were discussed. The partners presented residential projects, both operational and under construction, such as Geo@Turnhout, Beerse: Johnson & Johnson, Mol: Balmatt site in Belgium; the cities of Lendava and Murska Sobota in Slovenia; Stargard and Pyrzyce in Poland. A very interesting discussion focused on the different possibilities of using geothermal energy in the EU territories and how to overcome these obstacles.
In the second part of the Interregional Workshop on “Geothermal energy applications in residential and commercial heating” participants discussed policies, regulations and incentives that influence the use of geothermal energy. The session focused on identifying practical policy measures to address common barriers such as financing issues, permitting processes and public acceptance. Thanks to the participation of stakeholders from Greece, Lithuania, Latvia, Slovenia, Spain and Hungary, who were very active in the discussion, successful examples of policy frameworks were presented.
On the second day, the participants had the opportunity to learn more about the geothermal heating system of Győr and of Mosonmagyaróvár during a study visit. The two study visits offered the project partners and stakeholders a unique opportunity to explore and learn from real-life applications of geothermal energy in the heating sector.