Geothermal Heat: An Untapped Alternative to Gas

Geothermal energy is a suitable alternative to gas in Hungary, said one expert in response to the suggestion that Hungary could heat with geothermal energy instead of natural gas. Hungary’s geothermal heat flow, or simply put, the intensity of the heat escaping from the earth’s interior, is excellent by European standards.

Although the heating season is already well behind us, there are still many evenings when radiators are turned on, which in the vast majority of Hungarian households, run on natural gas. Some experts therefore looked at the use of geothermal energy in households, as reported by Index.

It was found that Hungary has great geothermal potential, which could be used primarily for heating and cooling,

said Judit Mádlné Szőnyi, hydrogeologist, PhD at the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, professor at the Department of Physical and Applied Geology of ELTE and head of the research center of the József and Erzsébet Tóth Endowed Hydrogeology Chair, in her presentation. However, she pointed out that geothermal resources are less suitable for electricity generation.

The hydrogeologist emphasized that the enormous potential of near-surface geothermal energy could play an important role for the future of all Hungarian communities. Some form of shallow or deep geothermal use is possible almost everywhere in the country. Shallow geothermal probes also have many advantages: geological risk and investment costs can be kept low, the technology is less complex, and maintenance costs are lower. One of the main benefits is that it is possible to both cool and heat in reverse mode. Furthermore, surface use can be installed almost anywhere without the need for special geological conditions.

The professor pointed out how important it was to develop direct heat recovery and the distribution of geothermal heat pumps to replace natural gas.

Geothermal heat is a suitable alternative to gas in the country, and the degree of extraction could be refined as thermal water is developed,

says the expert.

Although the geothermal heat flow in Hungary is lower than in Iceland, it is still excellent by European standards. In addition, not only heat, but also a large amount of groundwater is available to bring the heat to the surface. The professor explained that Hungary is far away from plate boundaries that are characterized by intense magmatic activity, making Iceland a stronghold of geothermal energy.

Here in Europe, we are in fourth place with a heat output of 1.02 gigawatts,

Szőnyi told Index, noting that we also need to see the untapped potential in this area, which is the basis for improvement. Today, only 6.6 percent of total heat production comes from geothermal energy. According to data from 2022, annual geothermal heat production is around 6.6 petajoules. To reach 12 petajoules by 2030, the increase of exploitation is needed. “The geological and hydrogeological conditions in Hungary are suitable for this, the only question is when the large number of geothermal exploration licenses submitted last year can reach the exploitation stage.”

The most important thing now is to get the industry off the ground, which requires support,

emphasized the professor, pointing out that countries such as Finland and Sweden, which are at a disadvantage in terms of prerequisites, have for some time been promoting the installation of geothermal heat pumps in their countries. As a result, the Finns already have an installed capacity of 2,000 megawatts, while the Swedes have over 7,000 megawatts. According to the expert, this shows that even geothermally disadvantaged countries are trying to take advantage of this opportunity.

Via Index, Ungarn Heute; Featured image via Pixabay