| Title | Geothermal energy and the heat transition: Roadmaps to unlock their potential and accelerate investments |
|---|---|
| Authors | Nora Heijnen |
| Year | 2026 |
| Conference | World Geothermal Congress |
| Keywords | accelarate geothermal, heat transtition, investments, policy, roadmaps |
| Abstract | Integral roadmaps for the development of sustainable collective heat systems based on active demand aggregation and supply by geothermal heat, waste heat, possible other sources, and heat storage could accelerate investments significantly in the Netherlands, as well as in Europe to the benefit of all. For such roadmaps to unlock this potential for policy makers, business partners, customers, citizens, and other stakeholders alike, would work in case they make the following conditions work: (1) there is a clear drive and outlook for demand to change from natural gas fired to sustainable heat supply; (2) the option of sustainable collective heat systems turns out to be more advantageous than its sustainable alternatives; (3) active demand aggregation enables the possibility to significantly benefit from larger scale sources, storages, and networks with higher capital and lower operating expenditures; (4) all parts of the integrated collective heat systems work together to achieve their progressive cost- and risk-reduction potential, and their progressive benefits of secure, sustainable, and comfortable heat supply; and (5) the planning and implementation process throughout the value chain takes place in a predictable, transparent, and adaptive way of ‘integral programming’ that takes the values of investors, stakeholders, and citizens into account, and works based on a shared consensus on the overall benefits. In the Netherlands, a new Heat Law is under construction which means that these conditions may soon be reality. Development of integral roadmaps could provide overview and align activities in a coordinated way to unlock their potential and accelerate investments. |