Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Berlin is looking at ways to reduce its dependency on gas supplied by Moscow.
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00:00 And out-of-use airports in the outskirts of Berlin may hold the key to helping make Germany
00:05 more energy independent and cleaner.
00:08 It's one of the sites that's being considered for digging of geothermal energy.
00:13 That's a type of renewable energy that is sourced underground.
00:17 This heating plant in a central district of the city is also being raised as a possible
00:21 digging site.
00:23 Chancellor Olaf Scholz said last week that the country's goal is to get as much geothermal
00:28 energy as possible by 2030 with a focus on providing heating to buildings.
00:37 The war in Ukraine forced Germany to massively decrease its reliance on Russian gas.
00:43 The German Geothermal Association says that's when there was a strong spike in interest.
00:50 But the group's managing director says there are obstacles to expanding geothermal use.
00:56 We don't have enough money in the market for geothermal.
01:02 There are some moves of the government in this direction, but it's not fast enough.
01:09 And then we have to be faster, a lot faster in permitting these geothermal installations.
01:15 One study found that more than a quarter of Germany's heating could be served by geothermal
01:20 energy.
01:21 Berlin's local government is currently searching for more places for geothermal energy.
01:25 It plans on starting deep digging in 2025.
01:29 But some environmentalists say that's not enough, that the country should fully eliminate
01:33 the use of fossil fuels.
01:35 There is no other way to be in line with the Paris Agreement and other climate targets
01:42 than renewable energy.
01:44 And that's why it is so important that the German government stops investing in fossil
01:49 fuels and starts pushing really hard and only for 100 percent renewable energies.
01:58 Supporters say geothermal energy will help Germany rely on its own resources.
02:03 And it's more reliable than some other renewable energy like solar.
02:08 We are independent, it's cheaper and you have it every time, especially if it's cold, then
02:17 you often not have enough sun.
02:20 But geothermal energy is a heat flow you have every time, 24 hours, 7 days.
02:25 [WHOOSH]