The Role of Geothermal Plants in the Global Energy Transition: Raw Material Extraction and Flexibility as Game Changers

The Role of Geothermal Plants in the Global Energy Transition: Raw Material Extraction and Flexibility as Game Changers | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Systematic Review The Role of Geothermal Plants in the Global Energy Transition: Raw Material Extraction and Flexibility as Game Changers Jann Michael Weinand, Max Kleinebrahm, Bernard Sanjuan, Evelina Trutnevyte, and 7 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-6112715/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Advances in geothermal technology and the global capacity for geothermal power and heat are growing, yet its role in the transition to sustainable energy systems remains notably underexplored. In this review, we find that many existing energy system models rely on simplified techniques that fail to adequately address the complexities of exploration uncertainties and nonlinear drilling costs. We synthesize key data sources and identify good modeling practices for geothermal plants, examining fixed versus variable drilling depths, as well as detailed cost functions. Important factors such as lifecycle environmental and social impacts are often overlooked. In addition, innovations such as raw material extraction, the flexibility of geothermal plants in load-following operation, and the potential for technological learning through policy support are identified as key game changers that could enhance the role of geothermal energy in future systems. Energy systems modeling Deep geothermal systems Enhanced geothermal systems Hydrothermal energy CO2 Plume geothermal Material extraction Economic and social factors Uncertainties Data availability Full Text Additional Declarations The authors declare no competing interests. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-6112715","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Systematic Review","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":421228397,"identity":"786d0be3-0808-4b46-a8c6-b94306c25b36","order_by":0,"name":"Jann Michael Weinand","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAABBklEQVRIiWNgGAWjYBACxgYgkQBiHW98wMDAw8DAx8zAxgBChLWcOWwA1sJGSAsC3Eg2ANNsDAS0MDfwGD54uMMuj+/mY+YPDDKH5djYmZ89YCizweMwHmODxDPJxZK3kxkMGHgOG7Mxs5kbMJxLw6OFd5tEYhtz4obb+QeS//AcBrJ52CQY2w7j07L9R2JbfeKGm4cZDgBtqYdq+Y/XFobEtsOJG24wA0OP53ACG0TLAdxamvk/Ax12PHHmmWRmYCCnG7Yxs5lJJJxLxqnFsL0t8ePPturEvuOHmT8w9ljL8/MffibxocwOt5ZmFDt7oIwEnBoYGORRuT/wKB0Fo2AUjIIRCwDboEzove1dMQAAAABJRU5ErkJggg==","orcid":"","institution":"","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Jann","middleName":"Michael","lastName":"Weinand","suffix":""},{"id":421228398,"identity":"ebc151a7-e826-4ac4-a33a-8e106c4f1645","order_by":1,"name":"Max Kleinebrahm","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Max","middleName":"","lastName":"Kleinebrahm","suffix":""},{"id":421228399,"identity":"99afb205-17a9-421a-b1c1-cad8a220b7dd","order_by":2,"name":"Bernard Sanjuan","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Bernard","middleName":"","lastName":"Sanjuan","suffix":""},{"id":421228400,"identity":"3161a1e3-6bab-4af3-8d33-51ae45543f78","order_by":3,"name":"Evelina Trutnevyte","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Evelina","middleName":"","lastName":"Trutnevyte","suffix":""},{"id":421228401,"identity":"8a7039a1-1125-4af1-8633-96a83a20e193","order_by":4,"name":"Karin Treyer","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Karin","middleName":"","lastName":"Treyer","suffix":""},{"id":421228402,"identity":"3a6c3fc0-1d00-424b-b577-452998f75ab2","order_by":5,"name":"Francis Claret","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Francis","middleName":"","lastName":"Claret","suffix":""},{"id":421228403,"identity":"ec1deb4e-d2cc-4991-84a4-1d59af254d76","order_by":6,"name":"Francesco Dalla Longa","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Francesco","middleName":"Dalla","lastName":"Longa","suffix":""},{"id":421228404,"identity":"3bee76d6-1161-43ae-ba12-5c8c6eb91273","order_by":7,"name":"Peter Burgherr","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Peter","middleName":"","lastName":"Burgherr","suffix":""},{"id":421228405,"identity":"b20fcf39-8a3d-46c8-a49c-b8079374351a","order_by":8,"name":"Bob van der Zwaan","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Bob","middleName":"van der","lastName":"Zwaan","suffix":""},{"id":421228406,"identity":"5c353ccd-77c6-4160-a525-a68cf1b7eac5","order_by":9,"name":"Russell McKenna","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Russell","middleName":"","lastName":"McKenna","suffix":""},{"id":421228407,"identity":"f2520ec5-3d5f-46f5-8049-7c45dd758a04","order_by":10,"name":"Detlef Stolten","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Detlef","middleName":"","lastName":"Stolten","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2025-02-26 11:24:46","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":{"humanSubjects":false,"vertebrateSubjects":false,"conflictsOfInterestStatement":false,"humanSubjectEthicalGuidelines":false,"humanSubjectConsent":false,"humanSubjectClinicalTrial":false,"humanSubjectCaseReport":false,"vertebrateSubjectEthicalGuidelines":false},"doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6112715/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-6112715/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":77382967,"identity":"ad8635d8-9c21-41c4-8398-b2a1a77cb0fb","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-02-28 04:28:03","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":1270369,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"Weinandetal.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6112715/v1_covered_b20f7b97-2a0d-4115-a1cb-b960911fede9.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"The authors declare no competing interests.","formattedTitle":"\u003cp\u003eThe Role of Geothermal Plants in the Global Energy Transition: Raw Material Extraction and Flexibility as Game Changers","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":true,"hideJournal":true,"highlight":"","institution":"Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":" Energy systems modeling, Deep geothermal systems, Enhanced geothermal systems, Hydrothermal energy, CO2 Plume geothermal, Material extraction, Economic and social factors, Uncertainties, Data availability","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6112715/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-6112715/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eAdvances in geothermal technology and the global capacity for geothermal power and heat are growing, yet its role in the transition to sustainable energy systems remains notably underexplored. In this review, we find that many existing energy system models rely on simplified techniques that fail to adequately address the complexities of exploration uncertainties and nonlinear drilling costs. We synthesize key data sources and identify good modeling practices for geothermal plants, examining fixed versus variable drilling depths, as well as detailed cost functions. Important factors such as lifecycle environmental and social impacts are often overlooked. In addition, innovations such as raw material extraction, the flexibility of geothermal plants in load-following operation, and the potential for technological learning through policy support are identified as key game changers that could enhance the role of geothermal energy in future systems.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"The Role of Geothermal Plants in the Global Energy Transition: Raw Material Extraction and Flexibility as Game Changers","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2025-02-28 04:19:51","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6112715/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"48bde965-9208-46ea-9e09-cd30d77acd01","owner":[],"postedDate":"February 28th, 2025","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"posted","subjectAreas":[],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2025-02-28T04:19:51+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2025-02-28 04:19:51","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-6112715","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-6112715","identity":"rs-6112715","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"8U1c8b4HqxoKbykW_rLl7","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}