GEOTHERM-FORA Deliverable 4.1: Report on major technological trends

To answer the challenges set in the EU Climate & Energy framework 2030 of an exponential growth of the share of renewable energy including geothermal for the next ten years, a geothermal strategy at EU level must be established. Such program will cover the various technologies of the geothermal sector, which are at different stages of development. The development of a European Geothermal Strategy also encompasses a presentation of the technological trends, market trends and an analysis of the competitiveness of the geothermal industry. This report looks at research and innovation trends for geothermal systems producing heat & cold and generating electricity. It also takes into account trends in storage technologies and extraction of minerals from geothermal fluids. The main focus of the report is on the last five years, 2019-2024. The identified research topics and innovation trends are classified in terms of Technology Readiness Levels (TRL). Case studies illustrate the different systems. In view of the fact that there is a multitude of research and innovation activities ongoing, this report can never be exhaustive. However, updates of the report are foreseen and the authors are thankful for contributions from the geothermal community. As a whole, the main innovations trends reflect the large interest of the society for geothermal energy for district heating and cooling. A wide range of technologies and research projects aim at more cost efficient and secure provision of heat and unlocking geothermal resources in more divers geological settings. Innovation trends also show the opening of the geothermal market for wider applications, with underground thermal storage as a key technology for the heat transition and co-production of critical minerals as a major opportunity to increase the returns on investment for geothermal plants while contributing at the same time to the goals of Europe’s Critical Raw Material Act. Finally, research projects are aiming at the application of the ever increasing digital and computational methods for the optimising of geothermal exploration, resource assessment, resource development and operation and monitoring of geothermal systems.