Enerdrape, a Swiss startup, is installing energy-harvesting panels in underground parking garages and other concrete spaces to provide heating and cooling for buildings without drilling.

The system attaches prefabricated panels to underground infrastructure, using the steady ground temperature to move heat in or out of buildings depending on the season.

The technology focuses on older multifamily buildings, which are often harder to retrofit for decarbonization. It requires about one panel per 110 square feet and connects to heat pumps to transfer energy.

Enerdrape has projects across Europe, including with Swiss retailer Coop Immobilier and with Engie, where its panels supply 25% of the domestic hot water needs for affordable housing in Paris.

The company said its system can deliver energy at 3 cents to 4 cents per kilowatt-hour, compared to the US average gas price of 17 cents per kilowatt-hour.

Upfront installation costs range from US$100,000 to US$500,000, with effectiveness limited to buildings 10 stories or fewer.

🔗 Source: Bloomberg

🧠 Food for thought

1️⃣ No-drill geothermal addresses urban deployment barriers that have limited traditional systems

Enerdrape’s approach tackles a fundamental challenge that has restricted geothermal energy in cities for over a century.

Traditional geothermal systems require significant drilling operations and space for equipment, creating high upfront costs and logistical problems in dense urban areas1.

This drilling requirement has historically limited geothermal deployment despite the technology’s long track record. Industrial geothermal use began in Italy in 1818, and electricity generation started there in 19042.

By using existing underground infrastructure like parking garages and subway tunnels, Enerdrape eliminates the need for drilling entirely while still accessing the consistent underground temperatures that make geothermal effective.

The company’s $100,000-$500,000 installation cost, while substantial, avoids the expensive and space-intensive drilling that has made traditional geothermal impractical for most urban buildings.

2️⃣ Geothermal’s reliability advantage becomes crucial as cities electrify heating systems

Enerdrape’s technology leverages geothermal energy’s key operational advantage: consistent, round-the-clock energy production.