| Abstract |
Current global geothermal resource assessments face critical challenges, including inconsistent standards, divergent evaluation outcomes, and insufficient quantification of sustainability. Existing international standards exhibit significant gaps in coverage, outdated methodologies, and a lack of dynamic evaluation mechanisms, exacerbated by aging frameworks that hinder resource efficiency and heighten risks of overexploitation. To address these challenges, international standardization must prioritize the renewable energy attributes of geothermal resources by defining sustainable yield (e.g., characteristic capacity E₀) and establishing a tiered evaluation framework (P1–P3) based on geological understanding and exploration maturity: P1 (Potential Assessment) employs volumetric and analog methods for rapid resource screening; P2 (Feasibility Assessment) integrates geophysical, geochemical, and drilling data to construct thermo-hydro-mechanical-chemical (T-H-M-C) coupled models; P3 (Validation Assessment) optimizes development strategies through dynamic monitoring and iterative numerical simulations. Future efforts should focus on multi-method cross-validation (e.g., Volumetric method, heat flux) and uncertainty quantification to enhance scientific rigor. Additionally, harmonizing international standards and implementing a closed-loop “monitoring-modeling-optimization” system are imperative to ensure sustainable geothermal development and support global low-carbon transitions. |