Geothermal energy holds significant development potential, especially in Italy, but it is still hindered by several factors: the limited availability of areas with abundant high-temperature hydrothermal resources and the low public acceptance stemming from negative perceptions regarding the extraction and reinjection of fluids.
New ORC (Organic Rankine Cycle) technologies using binary fluids, combined with the possibility of full reinjection of geothermal fluids (including non-condensable gases), already make it possible to build efficient power generation plants even with medium-enthalpy resources and extremely low environmental impact.
Current technologies also allow for the development of very low-power geothermal systems, enabling self-sufficient electricity production for local applications such as hotels, large apartment complexes, and public infrastructure.
However, public perception of geothermal energy remains largely negative in Italy, particularly concerning extraction and reinjection operations through wells—mainly due to concerns about a supposed seismic risk, which in reality is virtually non-existent in small-scale plants.
Moreover, the primary challenge of geothermal power generation lies in the limited number of areas with sufficiently high underground temperatures.

Areas located at depths that make them economically exploitable. The START Project aims to provide effective solutions to these challenges, specifically by developing an efficient system for electricity generation and thermal cogeneration with an almost zero environmental impact, suitable for integration into urban environments.

The proposed solution is a poly-cogeneration system (electric and thermal) built using mini and

micro-plants that combine geothermal resources with other thermal renewables, particularly solar thermal energy.

A system of this kind, which in the START project is combined—during nighttime hours—with the use of plant-based biomass, enables an increase in the temperature of low-enthalpy geothermal fluids, making it possible to power a binary cogeneration plant. In areas where geothermal resources are already abundant, the integration of other thermal renewables helps boost output power.
Moreover, the project will trial—for the first time in Europe—a downhole heat exchange system that eliminates the need for fluid extraction and reinjection, thereby making these plants virtually impact-free from an environmental standpoint.