Geothermal Energy in the Context of the Energy Transition Process

The energy transition in Europe and the whole world is a pathway into an environmentally-friendly future. In the EU the process of changing the energy supply has already begun. The plan is to substitute nuclear and fossil fuels with renewable energy from wind, solar, biomass and hydropower. But these techniques are only used for the electricity supply. But not only the electricity is an important factor. Also the supply with heat especially in the urban agglomeration is a main point which is still not in the focus of the efforts. One option to advance this aspect is the usage of geothermal energy systems. The main goal of the article is to show options of the geothermal usage in the energy transition process. Therefore, three different research projects of the International Geothermal Centre will be explained.