Something’s rumbling underneath: The opportunities of geothermal energy

Geothermal energy has a low carbon footprint and simply never runs out – or at least not as long as the Earth is here. It is reliable and consistent baseload energy: There is no need to wait for the sun to shine or the wind to blow. There are no troublesome imports and exports laden with price shocks and political disputes. Finally, geothermal energy is silent and unobtrusive. It   does not disrupt the local landscape, as do energy sources that require extensive mining.  

Since the Viking days, Iceland has been using geothermal energy in some form for heating and bathing. In addition to heating most of its homes with the Earth’s warmth, the country also generates 27 per cent of its electricity from geothermal sources. 

“Geothermal energy has a great potential for direct utilisation, such as district heating and cooling,” says Kristín Steinunnardóttir, a mechanical engineer and project manager at Mannvit, an Icelandic company with strong competencies in the geothermal field that COWI recently acquired. 

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