Geothermal Energy in Denmark – Potential, Policy and Progress

A new assessment of the geothermal resources in Denmark published by GEUS concludes that the Danish subsurface contains huge geothermal resources (Mathiesen et al. 2009). To rationalise administration the Danish Energy Agency (DEA) has established a new simple application procedure with a standard license period and work program. These initiatives and rising prizes on fossil fuels have together with public concerns related to climatic changes and increasing emission of CO2 to the atmosphere triggered the awareness of the large potential of the geothermal resources, which may contribute to a safe, sustainable, price stable and reliable supply of energy. It is thus expected that geothermal energy may play an important role in the future energy strategy in Denmark (Fenham et al. 2010; Nielsen et al. 2011).