What is geothermal energy?

Geothermal energy is heat that is drawn from far below the surface of the Earth. The temperature at the Earth’s core exceeds 5000 degrees Celsius. The closer you come to the Earth’s crust, the greater the drop in temperature. In the Netherlands, the ground temperature increases by 3°C for each 100 metres in depth. In the Koekoekspolder, the ground water at a depth of 2 kilometres has a temperature of approximately 70 degrees Celsius. That water temperature is ideal for heating commercial vegetable production greenhouses.

Geothermal energy is a form of sustainable energy. An unimaginably large amount of energy is available in the Earth’s core. However, electricity is required for pumping the hot water up to the surface. At the end of the process, the cooled water is pumped back into the ground where it warms up again gradually.

The benefits of geothermal energy are:

• available all year round, 24 hours a day
• clean energy, available in limitless quantities
• low environmental impact
• reduced CO2 emissions
• stable energy price for the producer
• a geothermal system that can last up to 30 years