Bundesverband Geothermie e.V.

What Bundesverband Geothermie e.V. does

Bundesverband Geothermie e.V. (BVG), also known as the German Geothermal Association, is a non-profit registered association (eingetragener Verein) founded in 1991 and headquartered in Berlin at Albrechtstraße 22. It serves as the central information platform and advocacy body for geothermal energy in Germany, representing stakeholders across industry, science, planning, and the energy supply sectors. BVG members automatically receive bundled membership in the International Geothermal Association (IGA), the German Renewable Energy Federation (BEE), and the European Geothermal Energy Council (EGEC), giving them international and domestic representation in renewable-energy policy discussions.

BVG's offerings are organised around three core technology domains — shallow geothermal energy (up to 400m depth, up to 25°C), deep geothermal energy (>400m depth, including hydrothermal and petrothermal/EGS systems), and special applications such as seasonal heat storage and tunnel/mining-based geothermal. These technology categories are supported by member services including the annual Geothermal Congress (Der Geothermiekongress), the professional journal Geothermische Energie, a company directory, the Geothermie in Zahlen digital statistics platform, the Geothermal Lexicon, geological information systems, an educational school package, and the new 'Geothermie on the Road' plant-visit format. The association generates revenue primarily through membership fees, ticket and sponsorship sales for the annual congress, and publication-related income; pricing is not publicly disclosed. BVG also operates a wholly-owned subsidiary, BVG Geothermie Kommunikation GmbH, which handles communication and website operations. Its four-member voluntary Executive Board is led by President Dr. Karin Thelen, with Vice Presidents Prof. Dr. Inga Moeck and Leonhard Thien, and Board Member Christoph Knepel; Gregor Dilger serves as Managing Director (Geschäftsführer).

Name

Bundesverband Geothermie e.V.

Legal name

Bundesverband Geothermie e.V.

Website

https://geothermie.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Bundesverband Geothermie e.V. (BVG) is a German non-profit industry association founded in 1991 that serves as the central information platform and advocacy body for geothermal energy stakeholders across industry, science, planning, and energy supply.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Berlin

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: The association generates revenue through membership fees from companies in industry, science, planning, and energy supply sectors. Members receive benefits including automatic membership in International Geothermal Association (IGA), representation in German Renewable Energy Federation (BEE) and European Geothermal Energy Council (EGEC), access to company directory, free issues of Geothermische Energie journal, and discounts for events.
2. Event Revenue: Revenue generated from organizing the annual multi-day Geothermal Congress (Der Geothermiekongress), which offers specialist forums, workshops, and business networking opportunities. Ticket sales and sponsorships contribute to revenue.
3. Publication Sales: The association publishes the professional journal Geothermische Energie featuring in-depth reports on project developments and research results, and maintains the website www.geothermie.de as a central information platform.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Bundesverband Geothermie e.V. is a German non-profit industry association that promotes geothermal energy in Germany. It serves its members from industry, science, planning, and the energy supply sector through representation in IGA, EGEC and BEE, the annual Geothermal Congress, the professional journal Geothermische Energie, a company directory, and public information campaigns about shallow, deep, and special-application geothermal technologies.

Product overview

Bundesverband Geothermie e.V. (BVG) is a German geothermal association operating since 1991 that functions as an information platform and member services organization rather than a software product company. The organization's offerings include three main geothermal technology categories: Shallow Geothermal Energy (up to 400m depth), Deep Geothermal Energy (over 400m depth), and Special Applications (seasonal heat storage, tunnel/mining geothermal). Supporting services include the annual Geothermal Congress (DGK), the professional journal 'Geothermische Energie', a member company directory, digital geothermal maps, educational programs (school packages), and the Lexikon der Geothermie reference resource. The association also offers 'Geothermie on the Road' plant visits and maintains extensive geological information systems access.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Geothermal Congress (Der Geothermiekongress) Annual multi-day German Geothermal Congress offering specialist forums and workshops on deep and shallow geothermal energy, with business networking, exhibition, and knowledge exchange for industry, economy, and political experts.
• Professional Journal Geothermische Energie Professional journal featuring in-depth reports on geothermal project developments, research results, literature, and event announcements for the German geothermal industry.
• Company Directory (Firmenverzeichnis) Online directory of member companies providing geothermal services, planning, consulting, and related products, with exclusive advertisement options for members.
• School Package Geothermie (Schulpaket Geothermie) Educational materials and resources about geothermal energy intended for use in schools.
• Geological Information Systems Access (Geologische Dienste und Infosysteme) Curated links and access to geological services and information systems of German federal states for exploring geothermal potentials across Germany.
• Geothermie on the Road Plant-visit format offering municipal utilities, energy suppliers, and local stakeholders the opportunity to tour and experience existing geothermal installations.
• Geothermal Lexicon (Lexikon der Geothermie) Comprehensive glossary and encyclopedia of geothermal terminology and concepts, published as a reference resource on the BVG website.
• Geothermie in Zahlen (Digital Map) Digital map and statistics platform showing geothermal installations and growth data across Germany.

Quantifiable outcome

• Geothermal could cover half of Germany's heat demand according to studies by German research institutes
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• European Geothermal Energy Council (EGEC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1991The German Geothermal Association (BVG) is a member of EGEC, the European association for geothermal energy. Through this membership, BVG members receive representation at the European level and access to EU policy discussions affecting the geothermal industry.
• International Geothermal Association (IGA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1991BVG is the German member of the International Geothermal Association. Members automatically receive membership in IGA and its European Regional Branch, including access to the IGA paper database containing 20,871 scientific geothermal papers from conferences worldwide.
• German Renewable Energy Federation (BEE)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1991BVG is a member of the Bundesverband Erneuerbare Energie e.V. (BEE), representing renewable energy interests in Germany. This provides representation in broader renewable energy policy discussions and coalition building.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• International Geothermal Association (IGA): IGA is the global geothermal association with which BVG holds an automatic-membership arrangement for its members. It operates the same advocacy, conference, and scientific-paper-database functions at a global level that BVG performs in Germany.
• European Geothermal Energy Council (EGEC): EGEC is the European-level geothermal industry association of which BVG is a national member. Both operate as advocacy, information, and member-service trade bodies for geothermal stakeholders, making EGEC the closest peer at the EU level.
• Geothermal Resources Council (GRC): GRC is the US-based geothermal industry association running an annual meeting, technical papers program, and policy advocacy for the American geothermal sector. It is the most direct national-association peer in another major market.

Others

• Bundesverband der Deutschen Industrie (BDI): BDI is the broad German industry federation representing industrial sectors in policy discussions. It is comparable only as a higher-tier German advocacy umbrella and is not a direct geothermal peer, but functions as an adjacent ecosystem participant relevant to BVG's policy engagement.
• IEA Geothermal Energy Technology Collaboration Programme: The IEA Geothermal TCP is the international policy and research coordination body for geothermal under the IEA framework. It is comparable as a knowledge-network and policy-coordination peer, though it is intergovernmental rather than a member-funded trade association.

Emerging players

• European Heat Pump Association (EHPA): EHPA is the European trade association for the heat-pump industry, a key competing decarbonization technology for the same municipal heat-supply mandate BVG's members target. It is comparable as an adjacent industry association competing for the same policy attention.
• GEORG (Geothermal Research Cluster, Iceland): GEORG is an Icelandic public-private geothermal research and industry coordination cluster. While more research-focused than BVG, it performs analogous stakeholder coordination and information-dissemination roles in a different national market with deep geothermal expertise.

Regional players

• Unione Geotermica Italiana (UGI): UGI is the Italian geothermal industry association representing Italy's well-established geothermal sector (including Larderello/Tuscany). It is a comparable national trade body operating in a different geography but with overlapping deep-geothermal and district-heating advocacy scope.
• Geothermie-Schweiz (Swiss Geothermal Association): Swiss Geothermal Association is the national trade body for geothermal in Switzerland. It pursues analogous advocacy, information, and member-service roles in a neighboring market, making it a directly comparable regional peer.

Broad incumbents

• Bundesverband Erneuerbare Energie e.V. (BEE): BEE is the umbrella German renewable energy federation of which BVG is a member. It aggregates wind, solar, biomass, hydro, and geothermal associations into a single policy voice, making it a broader-incumbent peer operating in the same advocacy space.

Market position

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCZWvKbGq7dTZkLmKdLO3diQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/366008742886
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bundesverband-geothermie-e.v.
• Instagraminstagram.com/bundesverband_geothermie

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Bundesverband Geothermie e.V.