High potential and a promising future

The strategic value of geothermal energy

When faced with innovations in the energy sector, we are often tempted to consider the possible pros and cons of these new and promising methods of producing energy in the belief that a thoughtful and well-analyzed choice can produce relevant benefits for communities. Over the last few years, these questions have multiplied in a very evident way, also involving companies, large players, and ordinary people, all now fully convinced that the fate of humanity (and the achievement of international climate objectives) will depend to a large extent on the activation of new methods of producing energy in a sustainable and low-impact way.

One of the objects of these discussions, for some time now, is represented by geothermal energy, which has been considered by many as one of the most promising sources of renewable energy. To understand exactly the potential of this method of energy production, we must first try to understand what it is. The Earth’s crust is mostly made up of water and rocks, but in the areas underneath, you can also find a layer of extremely hot molten rock, magma, which is so hot that it is hotter than the surface of the Sun. The heat generated by magma can be an incredible source of energy, especially when it is taken from underground and used to heat water, which in turn turns into steam. The steam obtained in this way is then used to operate a turbine located nearby, still above ground, from which the electricity that can be used in networks will then emerge.

Advantages and disadvantages

But what exactly are the advantages and disadvantages of this innovative source of renewable energy? Among the possible advantages, we must undoubtedly include the fact that this form of energy production is environmentally friendly and does not cause high levels of pollution, also representing a renewable, sustainable energy source with great potential. Geothermal energy production has also proven to be particularly reliable, with the possibility of being used without problems to heat and cool buildings.

The possible disadvantages, also confirmed by recent analyses dedicated to the topic, include the high initial costs of heat sourcing and valorization operations, the specificity of the locations needed to carry them out, but also the need to always ensure that water basins are managed correctly and adequately, creating the right conditions for sustainable energy production that respects natural ecosystems.

Nowadays, despite its obvious advantages, the large-scale adoption of geothermal energy is still limited, often giving way to other renewable energy sources that, in these years of transition, are experiencing a real boom. We are referring in particular to wind and solar energy, whose diffusion seems to be facilitated first of all by the fact that the related infrastructures do not have to be installed in specific points of the globe but can be built in a great variety of locations, or within particular contexts (such as wind turbines that are erected at sea). Unlike these two forms of renewable energy, however, geothermal energy would present a truly notable advantage: we are referring to the stability and reliability of the eventual energy supply, which in the case of geothermal power plants would be measurable and predictable well in advance. The sources linked to solar and wind energy, on the other hand, would always be linked to meteorological conditions, giving rise to a certain level of intermittency in energy supplies.