Geothermal energy refers to heat stored under the Earth’s surface — either via near-surface systems (hundreds of metres deep) for heat pumps, or deep geothermal systems (several kilometres deep) that can provide larger-scale heating or even electricity.
In Germany, both shallow ground-source heat pumps (for individual buildings) and deep geothermal systems (for district heating or power) are in use.
As of 2024/2025 Germany had around 42 deep geothermal plants in operation — supplying mostly heat, some also electricity.
Current scale vs potential
Realized usage is still small: geothermal (near-surface + deep) currently accounts for only a small share of heating and energy supply.
Yet the technical potential is very large. According to recent assessments, Germany could — with deep geothermal and other technologies — cover around 25–40% of its heating needs through geothermal.
If fully exploited (deep geothermal + high-temperature storage + mine-water systems + near-surface systems), the potential might even reach roughly 500 terawatt-hours (TWh) per year, which would be a major share of national heating demand.
On the electricity side, geothermal in Germany remains limited. Because subsurface temperatures are often modest, efficiency for power generation is low — making electricity from geothermal less competitive compared to heating use.
Regional use & major projects
Geothermal and district-heating efforts are concentrated in certain geological regions — notably the South German Molasse Basin, the North German Basin, and the Upper Rhine Rift.
Some municipalities are actively transitioning heating infrastructure: for example, one major project aims for a metropolitan area’s district heating to be supplied primarily by geothermal by 2040.
Alongside centralized geothermal plants, there are hundreds of thousands of ground-source heat pump systems across Germany used in residential and commercial buildings.
