Yes, geothermal energy is cheaper (and cleaner) than gas – so a study for France
View from Notre Dame over Paris (source: flickr/ Clarissa Peterson, creative commons)
Alexander Richter
16 Oct 2020
Looking at the true cost of geothermal energy in France, the French Agency for Energy and the Environment (ADEME) established that the cost of geothermal district heating and cooling is cheaper than using (natural) gas.
Who said that geothermal energy is expensive? … so a question asked and answered in a news piece by the EU-funded GeoEnvi project. The project has the objective to make sure that deep geothermal energy can play its role in Europe’s future energy supply in an increasingly sustainable way and to create a robust strategy to answer environmental concerns. This note has been published as part of a “This Week’s Good News”-campaign on the benefits of geothermal energy.
In France, the cost of geothermal district heating and cooling is cheaper than gas. While producing heat from deep geothermal energy costs between EUR 15 to 55/ MWh, the cost of producing heat from a gas furnace is EUR 51/ MWh.
France so far has 71 deep geothermal installations, including 49 in Paris, 21 in the Aquitaine basin, the rest in Alsace, in the Rhone area and in Limagne. In 2018, the heat production from these installations reached 1,78 TWh with an installed capacity of 627 MW.
In these areas, France has made a smart and sustainable choice. Geothermal energy is a local energy source, is cleaner, cheaper and more secure than gas. What are other European countries waiting for?
Read more about the true cost of geothermal energy in France
Source: ADEME (French Agency for Energy and Environment)
Source: GeoEnvi
