The German state of Bavaria is embracing an ambitious program of tapping into geothermal reservoirs, with Munich hoping to make its heating system carbon-neutral by 2040. But given the expense of geothermal power, can it ever rival wind and solar as a renewable energy source?
“Munich realized that it can’t hit climate targets unless it addresses heating, and Bavaria has deep thermal water flows between the Alps and the Danube that are ideal for geoenergy,” explains Michael Solic of Stadtwerke München, the city’s municipal utility. While the Alps’ geological conditions favor geothermal energy, the growing exploitation of this renewable resource in Bavaria shows that many other regions worldwide could tap into geothermal sources to heat homes and buildings and to generate electricity, Solic says.