MOD3LTHERM - MODelling the 3D thermal and Lithospheric Structure of geoTHERMal regions

Project Description

For Ireland to meet its climate and EU emission reduction targets, a transition from fossil fuels to renewable energies, including geothermal, is required. However, the temperature gradient at depth is uncertain. Much of the uncertainty in temperature and consequently geothermal potential are because we cannot directly sample the deep subsurface without great expense and invasive drilling. Here, we develop a new geophysical-petrophysical-lithological inversion that inverts for rock type and temperature variations with depth. To test the method versatility the inversion will be applied to both a low-enthalpy whole Ireland and high-enthalpy local (km) scale to determine Ireland’s geothermal potential.