In principle, geothermal energy would be sufficient to sustainably cover global energy needs. Deep geothermal energy is a renewable energy source that can provide electricity and heat indefinitely. Regardless of the amount of energy extracted, the earth's interior continuously generates new energy (base load energy), making the use of geothermal energy an ideal supplement to the new ‘renewables’ such as wind and solar.

In contrast, the known renewable energy sources that, like deep geothermal energy, also generate rare base load energy, have only a limited potential for expansion (hydroelectric power) or are limited due to the available resources (biomass). Because deep geothermal energy can cover a significant portion of energy demand on a constant basis and because geothermal energy generation produces neither emissions nor waste, this energy source is an important cornerstone of the Swiss government's Energy Strategy 2050.

 Deep geothermal energy not only provides valuable, renewable base load energy around the clock, regardless of the time of day or climate. It is also indigenous and contributes to local value creation, for example by adding to the reuse of hot water in agriculture, industry or tourism.

Deep geothermal energy also performs very well in terms of its environmental impact. This is the conclusion of a comprehensive report by experts from the Centre for Technology Assessment (TA-SWISS) in 2014. In terms of climate impact and metal consumption, deep geothermal energy is second only to hydropower among renewable energy sources, especially when the environmental impact assessment includes not only the operating phase but also the construction of the plant in question.

While solar, wind and hydroelectric power in Switzerland have relatively limited energy potential, the theoretical potential of deep geothermal energy is comparatively huge. However, this potential must first be tapped using new, innovative technologies.