A systematic review on shallow geothermal energy system: a light into six major barriers

Shallow geothermal energy systems (SGES) are being widely recognized throughout the world in the era of renewable energy promotion. The world is aiming to promote and implement the concept of nearly zero energy consumption in the building sector. Shallow geothermal energy systems have huge potential to meet the heating and cooling demand of a building with low carbon emissions. However, the shallow geothermal system exploration rate and its global contribution to renewable energy used in the buildings sector is yet relatively low. Therefore, this study explores specific barriers which hinder the promotion of shallow geothermal energy systems through a systematic review of the literature. The study was carried out by investigating published papers indexed in Scopus and Web of science core collection databases. The selected papers are focused on shallow geothermal energy systems and barriers to their promotion. Only review and research articles types were included in the analysis and constrained to the topic of closed-loop shallow geothermal energy systems. This system’s promotion has been influenced by the lack of legislation, little knowledge about the conductivity of soil and by high initial investment cost at its topmost. The least influencing barrier is considered to be the heating and cooling efficiency of shallow geothermal energy systems.