Due to the feed-in law electricity generation from geothermal energy became more and more important within the last couple of years. Based on this also questions concerning the environmental impact of this option using renewable sources of energy gaining more and public interest. Therefore the aim of this paper is it to assess selected environmental effects based on a life cycle analysis for a geothermal electricity generation as well as for a combined heat and electricity production (CHP) from geothermal energy under German frame conditions. The results of this environmental analysis are compared to an electricity generation based on other options using renewable as well as fossil fuel energy. The paper makes it obvious that geothermal energy provision can contribute significantly to the reduction of the environmental effects investigated here (like contribution to the anthropogenic greenhouse effect) compared to an electricity respectively electricity and heat production from fossil fuel energy.
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