Geothermal Resource Model of the Northern Upper Rhine Graben Crystalline Basement
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2022-06-22
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Deep geothermal energy represents an essential component of the future carbon-neutral energy supply, since its base-load capability can compensate for temporal fluctuations in wind and solar power. By far the largest amount of heat, which greatly exceeds the demand, is contained in the crystalline basement and is accessible in many places through deep drilling. Using the northern Upper Rhine Graben as an example, a techno-economic assessment was carried out to quantify these resources. This provides stakeholders with a reliable basis for decision-making and site selection for geothermal projects. For this purpose, an integrated 3D model of the bedrock was developed by combining geological information from outcrops and boreholes, geophysical data, geomechanical data, temperature information, power plant operating data, and financial aspects. Emphasis was placed on resources tied to large-scale fault zones that have preferred hydraulic properties. Accordingly, in the northern Upper Rhine Graben, the resource base is about 830 PWhth, of which up to 16.1 PWhth could potentially be extracted with current technologies in enhanced geothermal systems. Uncertainties in the calculations were quantified using Monte Carlo simulations.
This data publication is a supplement to the article "Techno-Economic Geothermal Resource Assessment of the Northern Upper Rhine Graben Variscan Basement" (Frey et al., in prep.). Contained herein is the discretized and parameterized model of the basement in the northern Upper Rhine Graben, including the calculated geothermal resource base and potentially recoverable resources. More detailed information on the resource assessment methodology can be found in the main manuscript.
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Except where otherwise noted, this license is described as CC0 1.0 - Public Domain Dedication