| Abstract |
Geothermal resources for most European countries are compiled in the recently published Atlas of Geothermal Resources in Europe, a companion volume to the Atlas of Geothermal Resources in the European Community, Austria and Switzerland. Publication of the atlas comes at a time when the promotion of a sustainable and non-polluting energy supply are high on the agenda of local energy suppliers, municipal administrations and all European governments. The participating countries are: Albania, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Croatia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine and the United Kingdom. A volumetric heat content model for porous reservoirs assuming exploitation of geothermal energy by a doublet is the basis of the resource calculation. Geothermal reservoirs are characterized by a set of 4 maps: depth, thickness, temperature and resources. The assessment methodology is simple and is based on a small number of parameters. In that way, evaluation of regions with very limited data coverage is possible. An illustrative example in the eastern North German Basin is shown. The maps presented in the atlas permit a first order evaluation of the geothermal potential in terms of technical and economic viability. This uniform procedure applied to all countries and regions allows comparisons and serves as a guide to setting priorities and planning geothermal development. This atlas also aids the search for appropriate objects for international cooperation in geo-thermal exploration in Europe. |