About
The Geothermal Implementation Working Group (IWG) brings together European countries and regions, the geothermal industry and researchers focusing on geothermal energy.
Geothermal energy and technologies contribute to Europe’s climate-neutral goals through four main pillars:
- heating and cooling
- power generation
- thermal storage
- co-production of minerals/critical raw materials.
Read more about the four main pillars on the geothermal IWG website.
The geothermal IWG is pursuing the SET Plan’s aim of placing Europe as a leader in the low-carbon energy scene.
The geothermal industry makes a significant contribution to the accomplishment of the European Green Deal and the Horizon Europe mission by providing renewable power, heating and cooling, thermal energy storage and geothermal minerals. Heating and cooling with renewables will be central to the Renovation Wave.
The scope of the working group has extended to all geological and subsurface depth levels, underground thermal energy storage, and co-production of minerals and geothermal energy, which are now part of the focal areas of the IWG and its work.
Targets and objectives
The primary goal of the geothermal IWG is to carry out the geothermal Implementation Plan, endorsed by the SET Plan Steering Committee. The geothermal IWG is the driving force behind development and deployment of geothermal energy technologies throughout Europe.
Based on the targets set in the Declaration of Intent, the Geothermal IWG developed a Vision for 2050, which is outlined in the Revised Implementation Plan (2023). This revision was necessary as the previous activities were no longer up to date. The Vision for 2050 will guide research and innovation priorities, address cross-cutting issues, and tackle non-technical barriers and opportunities identified in the implementation plan.
The geothermal IWG envisages a net-zero Europe in 2050, where:
- geothermal heat supplies more than 25% of Europe’s demand for space heating and cooling, more than 25% in the agricultural sector (greenhouses) and 5% in industrial sectors in the low to medium temperature range
- 10% of the power production in SET Plan countries is from geothermal power
- underground thermal energy storage supplies more than 10% of Europe’s demand for space heating, mainly for district heating, thus requiring collective systems
- co-production of minerals and critical raw materials (CRM) such as lithium for resilient transportation sector and strategic autonomy is established in at least 10 European regions.
Composition
The geothermal IWG is co-chaired by Germany and the Netherlands and includes 10 other European countries.
Participating SET Plan countries (in alphabetical order):
- Germany (Co-chair)
- Hungary
- Iceland (Associated Country)
- Ireland
- Italy
- Netherlands (Co-chair)
- Portugal
- Romania
- Spain
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- Türkiye (Associated Country)
