Study measures Switzerland's potential geothermal heating capacity

An EPFL PhD candidate has calculated the maximum amount of geothermal energy that could theoretically be extracted using ground-source heat pumps in the Cantons of Vaud and Geneva. In a study combining data on the area available for such systems with computer modeling techniques, she found stark differences between geothermal energy's potential in urban versus rural areas. Switzerland is one of the countries in Europe that relies the most on geothermal energy for residential heating. A study conducted by the Swiss Federal Office of Energy in 2019 found that the country has  101,600 ground-source heat pumps  (GSHPs) - the "highest concentration per square kilometer in the world." Many of these pumps are installed in residential yards at depths of up to 400 meters and use a vertical closed-loop system to circulate heat up to the surface. The advantage of GSHPs is that they have little impact on the environment. They can heat homes and buildings all year long since geothermal energy is a stable heat source. And they offer a promising alternative for decarbonizing the heating sector.