Berlin warms up to geothermal energy

The German capital has decided that this will be one of the pillars to support its transition process to climate neutrality

The Berlin Senate has decided on a roadmap to start replacing fossil fuels with geothermal energy as part of the plan to achieve climate neutrality in the city before 2045. For this purpose, the local government has already defined and technically examined 13 potential locations that could serve as sources of geothermal heat.

Of these, three locations have been determined as suitable for test drilling. The deep drilling will likely take place in 2025 after selecting the enterprises to be responsible for the three projects.

Two of the locations, which will be explored, are the Neukölln district heating plant, and the Berlin-Buch campus. Two spots – the residential Schumacher Quarter and the Urban Tech Republic, located at the

Former Tegel Airport – also to be drilled

According to the Senate Department for Transport, Environment and Climate Protection, more than 90 per cent of heat in Berlin is currently produced from fossil fuels such as coal, natural gas and oil. Therefore, if the German capital is to get serious about achieving its climate neutrality objectives, it also needs to get serious about using renewable energy sources.

This is precisely where geothermal sources are seen as the ideal alternative and solution to the issue.

It doesn't take up much space, which is particularly important in a city like Berlin, where we're struggling with the space issue anyway," explained Manja Schreiner, Environment and Climate Protection Senator, offering another beneficial factor in defence of the turn to geothermal heat.

The role of the local authorities is also indispensable as they will provide not only legislative support, but it will also finance the test drills. These require high investments that may discourage private-sector developers, which is why the government wants to reduce the initial risk for them by taking on the burden.

Geothermal energy takes advantage of the fact that thermal energy is stored in the earth's crust, which can be used for heating, among other things. Another European capital that has decided to explore this road to climate neutrality is Vienna.