Covering the future energy demand will be increasingly based on new technologies. One
of the most promising concepts is the utilisation of the high enthalpy geothermal
energy made available by creating Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS). For over 35
years a succession of EGS research projects in different countries has led to a broad
scientific and technical knowledge. However, there is still no EGS power plant based
on an artificially created or improved subsurface heat exchanger in operation worldwide.
The main question arises how we come to the breakthrough of the EGS technology within
the next decades. A breakthrough will be based on two aspects: the future energy
market prices and the technological feasibility of EGS. It is therefore not
predictable whether a technological breakthrough will be accompanied with an
economical success. But the development of the technology is a first condition, even
if not sufficient. Technological feasibility of a project is finally measured whether
the financial risk can be quantified and in a second step also minimised.
Quantifying the financial risk of EGS means first of all that the success of the
reservoir creation process and the extent of environmental and social impacts must
become predictable to a certain extent.
Minimising the financial risk, and also the capital costs in general, means to
develop methods which allow the project team to take the go/no-go decision as early
as possible.
A general proposition of required research and development work to reach the
technological breakthrough of EGS will be discussed.

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