Unlocking the energy below our surface: improving affordability and resilience in heating through ground source heat pumps

Europe’s continued reliance on fossil fuels undermines the security, affordability, and sustainability of its energy system. While the electricity sector has made significant progress in the transition to renewable energy, the decarbonization of the heating sector remains relatively slow.

Ground source heat pumps powered by shallow geothermal energy offer a significant opportunity to accelerate the transition to fossil-free heating. Yet, due to distrust and low recognition among both consumers and policymakers, their contribution to the heating sector remains low.

This policy briefing explains how ground source heat pumps work, and outlines their current and potential use in Europe, as well as their key benefits. It also identifies the main challenges limiting their wider deployment and analyses how policy can support their broad and socially just use.

The Briefing can be found in English here.
The German version can be read here.