Renewable Geoenergy Systems: Subsurface Energy Sources and Storage for a Sustainable Low-Carbon Future

Dear Colleagues,

Energy geoscience is undergoing a transition from hydrocarbon exploration and development to the larger arena of geoenergy. Broadly defined, geoenergy comprises energy resources derived from or stored in rock formations, and subsurface technologies designed to dispose of harmful waste from energy production.

Novel methods of geothermal exploration and technologies that interact with subsurface geology, such as underground hydrogen storage, compressed air energy storage, renewable natural gas, and containment of nuclear waste and CO₂ in rock reservoirs, will play a critical role in decarbonizing our energy system and economy. These new geoenergy technologies will also require unique social, legal, and regulatory standards to attain acceptable safety and implementation guidelines.

Much of the science and technology initially developed for hydrocarbon exploration and production can be repurposed to increase uptake of renewable geoenergy systems. The fields of geology, geophysics, and petrophysics have unique scientific strengths in describing the Earth’s subsurface complexity and its associated opportunities, particularly by quantifying and understanding the factors that determine the behavior of fluids in transporting and storing mass and heat within rock formations.

The objective of this volume is to (1) highlight the unique subsurface opportunities provided by geologic, geophysical, and petrophysical methods concerning renewable geoenergy exploration and production, (2) demonstrate how geoenergy systems can accelerate the development of low-carbon energy technologies and integrate hybrid energy enterprises, (3) provide a high-level review of the issues and technology of new geoenergy systems, and (4) cross-pollinate insights applicable to diverse subdisciplines of geoenergy exploration and production.

We invite geoscientists, engineers, social scientists, and policy specialists to contribute original research papers, review articles, and technical notes on the topics of:

• High and low enthalpy geothermal systems;
• Underground geological storage of hydrogen and other gas mixtures in anthropic rock caves and porous-media reservoirs;
• Bio-geo methanation and generation of renewable natural gas;
• Diabatic and adiabatic compressed air energy storage (CAES) in rock formations;
• Subsurface CO₂ sequestration and permanent mineralization;
• Disposal and storage of radioactive waste in rock reservoirs;
• Geophysical methods of geoenergy prospects assessment;
• Rock properties of porous-media reservoirs and associated seals/caprocks;
• Physical, chemical, mechanical and biological changes induced by underground geostorage;
• Numerical modeling and quantification of geoenergy resources;
• Societal and regulatory considerations for the use of the subsurface in geoenergy applications;
• Responsible use of shared subsurface resources.

Please send us a provisional article title including the author’s name and a short description (100 words max) by the 1st of October. The deadline for full article submission is the 30th of April 2022. Each article will be published online (open access) as soon as a successful peer-review process is completed. When all articles have been accepted, they will be grouped as a Special Issue.

Dr. Alan Bischoff
Dr. Joel Bensing
Dr. John Midgley
Dr. Nathan Eichelberger
Dr. Nina Leppäharju
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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