Pan‐European dataset for Geothermal Energy planning
Overview
Geothermal energy presents a sustainable solution for heating and cooling (H&C) across Europe. To facilitate its integration, comprehensive and harmonised geoscientific datasets are essential. The SAPHEA project has been reviewing, gathering and disseminating such datasets, aiming to support stakeholders in strategic planning and investment decisions.
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Dataset Compilation and Integration
The SAPHEA project has created a detailed catalogue of spatial datasets to aid in geothermal resource characterisation and planning for underground thermal energy storage. These datasets serve two main purposes:
- Providing critical geoscientific inputs to decision-support tools, aiding analyses and planning for geothermal applications.
- Facilitating visualisation and spatial analysis of geothermal resources across various regions through integration into map viewers.
Dedicated workflows have been developed to harmonise the data, ensuring compatibility with SAPHEA’s toolbox. Upon completion, the catalogue is submitted to EuroGeoSurveys for publication within the European Geological Data Infrastructure (EGDI), enhancing accessibility and utility for ongoing research and development in geothermal energy.
Publicly Accessible Pan-European Datasets
The SAPHEA project has evaluated and refined a selection of pan-European geospatial data sources relevant to geothermal energy applications. The key datasets include:
- Geodesy: Elevation data from NASA Earthdata.
- GeoHazards: Landslide and earthquake risk maps from ESDAC and EFEHR.
- Geology: Information on aquifer types, groundwater storage, and locations of hot sedimentary aquifers from EGDI and Zenodo.
- Groundwater: Data on the thickness of saturated layers and transmissivity from EGDI.
- Hydrogeology: Values for permeability and porosity from GLHYMPS 2.0.
- Land Use: Maps of protected sites and mining areas from the European Environment Agency and PANGAEA.
- Thermodynamic Data: Heat flow density and subsurface temperature information published on Zenodo.
The dataset table can be downloaded here.
Table Available Pan-European datasets catalogue:
| Classification | Content | Database | Description | Data license type | Geothermal scenario usage | Depth of usage | Type of assessment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Geodesy | Elevation | NASA Earthdata | Topographic data (30-m resolution digital elevation models) | CC BY 4.0 | Borehole heat exchanger | Middle deep | Quantitative |
| GeoHazards | Landslide risk | ESDAC | European Landslide Susceptibility Map version 2 (ELSUS v2) | Unknown | Groundwater open loop system Borehole heat exchanger | Shallow to middle deep | Qualitative and Quantitative |
| GeoHazards | Earthquake risk | EFEHR | Web platform of the European Facilities for Earthquake Hazard and Risk (EFEHR) | CC BY 4.0 | Groundwater open loop system Borehole heat exchanger | Shallow to middle deep | Qualitative and Quantitative |
| Geology | Depth of aquifer | EGDI | Link to EGDI map-viewer provides pan-European data on groundwater resources | CC BY 4.0 | Groundwater open loop system | Shallow | Qualitative and Quantitative |
| Geology | Aquifer types | EGDI | Link to EGDI map-viewer provides pan-European data on groundwater resources | CC BY 4.0 | Groundwater open loop system Borehole heat exchanger | Shallow to middle deep | Qualitative and Quantitative |
| Geology | Groundwater storage | EGDI | Link to EGDI map-viewer provides pan-European data on groundwater resources | CC BY 4.0 | Groundwater open loop system HT-ATES | Shallow to deep | Qualitative and Quantitative |
| Geology | Hot sedimentary aquifer and neogene basins location | Zenodo | Location data of hot sedimentary aquifers and Neogene basins in EU | CC BY 4.0 | Hydro-geothermal HT-ATES + deep geothermal | Middle deep to deep | Qualitative |
| Groundwater | Thickness of saturated layer | EGDI | Link to EGDI map-viewer provides pan-European data on groundwater resources | CC BY 4.0 | Groundwater open loop system | Shallow | Qualitative and Quantitative |
| Groundwater | Transmissivity | EGDI | Link to EGDI map-viewer provides pan-European data on groundwater resources | CC BY 4.0 | Groundwater open loop system Borehole heat exchanger | Shallow to middle deep | Qualitative and Quantitative |
| Groundwater | Surface water | GSWE | Global Surface Water map | Copernicus Regulation | Groundwater open loop system Borehole heat exchanger | Shallow to middle deep | Qualitative and Quantitative |
| HydroGeology | Aquifer location | BGR/IHME | International Hydrogeological Map of Europe, scale 1:1 500 000 (IHME1500) | Unknown | Groundwater open loop system | Shallow | Qualitative |
| HydroGeology | Permeability and porosity | GLHYMPS 2.0 | Shallow and deep permeability and porosity values for various types of consolidated and unconsolidated sediments | CC BY 4.0 | Groundwater open loop system Borehole Heat Exchanger Hydro-geothermal HT-ATES + deep geothermal Petro-geothermal | Shallow to very deep | Qualitative and Quantitative |
| Land Use | European protected sites | European Environment Agency | Maps of protected sites in Europe: Natura 2000, Emerald sites and Nationally designated areas (CDDA) | CC BY 4.0 | Groundwater open loop system Borehole heat exchanger | Shallow to middle deep | Qualitative and Quantitative |
| Land Use | Mining sites | PANGAEA | Polygons covering the extents of active mining sites worldwide | CC BY 4.0 | Groundwater open loop system Borehole heat exchanger | Shallow to middle deep | Qualitative and Quantitative |
| Thermodynamic | Heat flow density | Zenodo | Areas in Europe where the Heat Flow Density is greater than 90 mW/m² | CC BY 4.0 | Borehole Heat Exchanger HT-ATES + deep geothermal Petro-geothermal | Middle deep to very deep | Qualitative |
| Thermodynamic | Subsurface temperature | EAGE | 3D temperature model of the European crust and sedimentary basins | Unknown | Hydro-geothermal HT-ATES + deep geothermal Petro-geothermal | Middle deep to very deep | Qualitative and Quantitative |
| Thermodynamic | Temperature isolines at depth | Zenodo | Pan-European dataset of subsurface temperature isolines at 1000 m and 2000 m depth | CC BY 4.0 | Hydro-geothermal HT-ATES + deep geothermal Petro-geothermal | Middle deep to very deep | Qualitative and Quantitative |
| Thermodynamic | Temperature distribution at depth | Zenodo | Temperature distribution at depth in Europe, specifically areas with temperatures exceeding 50°C at 1000m depth and 90°C at 2000m depth | CC BY 4.0 | Hydro-geothermal HT-ATES + deep geothermal Petro-geothermal | Deep to very deep | Qualitative and Quantitative |
Contributions from Previous Projects
GeoDH Project
The GeoDH (Geothermal District Heating) project, concluded in 2014, aimed to promote geothermal district heating systems in Europe. SAPHEA has collected and published nine pan-European datasets from GeoDH, now publicly accessible on Zenodo. These include:
- Locations of cities using geothermal and/or conventional district heating - Publication link.
- Geological areas of interest for geothermal district heating - Publication link.
- Heat flow density contours - Publication link.
- Temperature distribution at depth - Publication link.
Atlas of Geothermal Resources in Europe
The Atlas, funded by the European Commission, offers detailed maps and assessments of geothermal potential across Europe. SAPHEA has digitised and published two pan-European datasets from the Atlas, available on Zenodo:
- Temperature isolines at 1000 meters and 2000 meters depth - Publication link.
Access and Further Information
Stakeholders can access the datasets and tools through the SAPHEA Market Uptake Hub
How To Cite
Jacques Brives, in SAPHEA-Wiki, Pan‐European dataset accessible for Geothermal Energy planning.
Authors And Reviewers
This page is written by Jacques Brives GeoSphere Austria.
This page is reviewed by Ardak Akhatova e-think.
License
Copyright © 2025: Ali Kök
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons CC BY 4.0 International License.
SPDX-License-Identifier: CC-BY-4.0
License-Text: https://spdx.org/licenses/CC-BY-4.0.html
Acknowledgement
We would like to convey our deepest appreciation to the HORIZON Europe Actions SAPHEA Project (Grant Agreement number 101075510), which co-funded the present investigation.