Science & Technology: New Method for Locating Potential Geothermal Drilling Sites that are Covered by Water

New exploration method for geothermal energy (TechXplore)

by Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres

Maren Brehme and Muhamad Andhika during
fluid sampling in Lahendong. Credit: Maren Brehme

Where to drill? This is the basic question in the exploration of underground energy resources, such as geothermal energy. Water in rocks flows along permeable pathways, which are the main target for geothermal drilling. Borehole, core and micro-earthquake data show that the pathways are spatially connected, permeable structures, such as fractures or faults in the rock. However, the geothermal potential of these structures cannot be fully exploited with the techniques available to date.

A research team led by Maren Brehme, research scientist at the GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences until August 2019 and now Assistant Professor at the TU Delft, presents a new method for locating potential drilling sites that are covered by water. "In the future, our method will make it possible to map geological structures under water and draw conclusions about the inflow from surrounding layers," says Maren Brehme.

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