For GGN, the consumer, or heat consumer, is the starting point of the solution. So making geothermal heat accessible at a low cost is serving the people who literally live and or work above the heat.
From its gas history, the national approach around heat seems quite difficult to transform into an innovative future focused on consumers. There are obviously big interests at stake for the big companies. Recently, at the national level, there have been more frequent talks about: ‘residential load neutrality’; ‘maximum acceptable social costs’; NMDA(No More Than Otherwise) and a “cost-plus” model where a profit percentage around 6% is agreed upon. Not so understandable to the consumer and again from a central “top-down” thinking, leaving the consumer with no input yet a say.
Instead, GGN is eager to engage with regional, autonomous and public parties. These parties are taking on a more socially responsible role and want to participate to implement geothermal heat in an innovative way. GGN believes that the future of heat is partly determined by consumers with their trusted regional energy companies.
The consumer wants security of supply and no temporary energy price, a demonstrably good way of dealing with the subsoil, no earthquakes, no financial surprises but direct control of a fair distribution of benefits and costs. This is why the individual consumer is so important in making sustainable decisions. For consumers, geothermal energy does not currently appear to be an alternative for heating buildings. This has to change.
