A revisit to the relationship between geothermal energy growth and underground water quality in EU economies

Environ Technol. 2024 Mar;45(7):1271-1289. doi: 10.1080/09593330.2022.2141662. Epub 2022 Nov 20.

Abstract

This study's main goal is to evaluate how the research will look at the impact of geothermal energy production on the quality of the subterranean in the 27 European nations from 1990 to 2021. A considerable decline in the subterranean water supply can occur in EU14 emerging nations employing geothermal energy growth compared to EU13 emerging economies, according to research that uses the autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL). Fossil fuel use, population growth, and economic expansion are some factors that have a more detrimental effect on the subterranean water supply in EU14 emerging economies than in EU13 emerging nations. In contrast, the study's findings indicate that EU13 emerging nations may be better able to enhance their underground water supply than EU14 emerging economies because of more effective institutional qualities. The findings so indicate that increasing the amount of geothermal energy generation among the 27 European Union countries can accelerate subsurface water degradation at a high capacity and help achieve unionism's 2030 energy-related goals. When this is achieved, climate change will be put to check, as pollution of the environment. All calculations projected were seen to be of a good level of validity, and this is ascertained through three estimators considered in this study.

Keywords: European Union; Geothermal energy; institutional quality; underground water.

MeSH terms

  • Carbon Dioxide / analysis
  • Fossil Fuels
  • Geothermal Energy*
  • Groundwater*
  • Renewable Energy
  • Water Quality
  • Water Supply

Substances

  • Fossil Fuels
  • Carbon Dioxide