The rapidly increasing renewable energy installations are often controlled through permit schemes, and good permit practices need to be developed for energy policy planning purposes. In Finland ground heat exchangers (GHEs) for geoenergy systems commonly need a permit from the municipal building control. We examine this municipal permit scheme, its functionality in groundwater protection and compatibility with the principles of good governance. Our data consists of permit and notification documents, interviews of building control officials and municipal regulations and instructions from nine municipalities in Southwest Finland. Similar studies based on empirical data have not been conducted earlier on geoenergy permit schemes. Despite common legislation there were many differences between municipalities in the application-stage permit practices, municipal regulations, supervision and quality control of GHEs. Well-functioning permit practices safeguard both the public and the neighbors’ interests, promote groundwater protection and support the client with quality control.

快速增长的可再生能源装置通常是通过许可证制度来控制的，出于能源政策规划的目的，需要制定良好的许可证做法。在芬兰，地热系统的地面热交换器（GHE）通常需要获得市政建筑控制部门的许可。我们研究了该市政许可计划，其在地下水保护中的功能以及与善治原则的兼容性。我们的数据包括许可和通知文件，对建筑控制官员的采访以及市政法规以及西南芬兰九个城市的指示。基于经验数据的类似研究尚未在早期进行过地能许可计划。尽管有共同的立法，但各城市之间在申请阶段的许可做法上还是有很多差异的，GHE的市政法规，监督和质量控制。运作良好的许可证做法可以维护公众和邻居的利益，促进地下水保护并通过质量控制为客户提供支持。