Geothermal energy has been slow to contribute to Germany’s Energiewende, or clean energy transition. But this is changing. Bavaria has 20 deep-well plants and more in planning. Now its neighbor state in the south, Baden-Wuerttemberg, is picking up the thread. Deep geothermal energy is to become a cornerstone of its effort to achieve climate goals that are even more determined than Germany’s national plans – and currently in danger of falling short. Paul Hockenos has the story. “Deep geothermal energy can make an important contribution to the energy transition,” said Environment Minister Franz Untersteller earlier this year, announcing the new strategy. This proclamation is more brash than it sounds as geothermal currently accounts for only  0.1% of the country’s heating and cooling. And shallow geothermal units, usually installed in home and buildings, chip in with just 1.2%. But Baden-Wuerttemberg, Germany’s southwestern-most state and cradle of the Energiewende, is striving to hit ambitious targets: 80% of all of its energy should be renewable by 2050 and emissions reduced by 90%. For this it needs more than … Continue reading Baden-Wuerttemberg Discovers Geothermal Energy: Will Germany Follow?