SAPHEA · Developing a single access point for the market uptake of geothermal energy use in multivalent heating and cooling networks across Europe

Heating and cooling in buildings and industry accounts for half of the EU’s energy consumption, making it the biggest energy end-use sector ahead of both, transport and electricity. Approximately 75% of heating and cooling is still generated from fossil fuels while only 22% is generated from renewable energy. District heating and cooling networks supplied by renewable energy sources can be a solution to all these issues, offering a clean, energy-efficient, and cost-effective alternative to individual fossil-fuel heating systems. Geothermal energy has the potential to play a vital role inside heating and cooling networks by offering zero emission stable base load supply and heat storage in the subsurface. Still, geothermal energy supplied heating and cooling networks (‘geoHC networks’) cover a small niche of around 1% inside the European heating and cooling sector, which is a result of primarily non-technological market barriers. SAPHEA addresses the uptake of multivalent heating and cooling networks supplied by geothermal energy by creating a durable digital market uptake hub. The hub contains toolboxes and guidelines to support stakeholders in early stage investment decisions and strategy planning activities and addresses market actors in districts or municipalities all across Europe. SAPHEA will therefore combine, adapt and expand existing tools (e.g., Hotmaps or EnerMaps) considering a set of market ready and emerging technological concepts linked to geoHC networks. The users of the hub, represented by local authorities, community services and energy suppliers will be empowered by targeted trainings to draft development scenarios and roadmaps taking into consideration the specific geological and socio-economic boundary conditions in their respective region. Dedicated communication activities will lead to the establishment to a lively network around the market uptake hub of public and private market actors as well as researchers beyond the lifetime of SAPHEA.