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Geothermal Resource Assessment and Sustainable Exploration and Utilization

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A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Resources and Sustainable Utilization".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 22 August 2026 | Viewed by 1467

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Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Wenjing Lin

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Guest Editor

Institute of Hydrogeology and Environmental Geology, Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, Shijiazhuang, China
Interests: geothermal resource; hot dry rock (HDR); enhanced geothermal systems (EGS); heat flow; hydrogeochemistry
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Xiaoyin Tang

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Guest Editor

Institute of Geomechanics, Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, Beijing 100081, China
Interests: geothermal resource; heat transfer

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Sustainable development requires balancing environmental, economic, and social benefits, with clean energy being key to reducing carbon emissions and achieving green development. Geothermal resources, as stable and renewable clean energy sources, possess unique advantages in energy transition. Current international trends in geothermal development focus on expanding deep geothermal and enhanced geothermal system (EGS) technologies to improve resource utilization and overcome geographical limitations while promoting innovative multi-energy complementary and comprehensive utilization models. However, challenges such as high exploration costs, technical bottlenecks (e.g., high-temperature drilling and reservoir stimulation), financing difficulties, and insufficient policy support remain.

This Special Issue will focus on global geothermal resource development and sustainable development, advancing innovations in deep geothermal and EGS technologies, exploring the role of geothermal energy in energy transition, and analyzing current technical, economic, and policy challenges to foster academic exchange and industry collaboration. We welcome original research and critical or systematic review papers on topics related to sustainable geothermal development, presenting new data or discussing existing data, including, but not limited to, the following:

Geothermal Resource Potential

- Geothermal measurements and terrestrial heat flow;

- Genetic mechanisms of geothermal systems;

- Geothermal resource distribution and potential assessment.

Geothermal Exploration and Extraction Technologies

- Advances in deep geothermal and EGS technologies;

- High-temperature drilling, reservoir stimulation, and efficient heat exchange technologies;

- Geothermal power generation and comprehensive utilization (heating, agriculture, industry, etc.);

- Multi-energy complementary systems (geothermal + wind/solar/storage) optimization.

Economic Viability and Sustainable Development

- Cost control and business models for geothermal projects;

- Assessment of geothermal energy’s emission reduction potential under carbon neutrality goals;

- Monitoring and environmental impact assessment of geothermal resource development.

Regional Case Studies and Cutting-Edge Applications

- Geothermal development experiences in representative countries/regions;

- Opportunities and challenges in emerging geothermal markets (e.g., Southeast Asia, Africa);

- Applications of geothermal energy in zero-carbon cities and industrial parks.

Prof. Dr. Wenjing Lin
Dr. Xiaoyin Tang
Guest Editors

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

geothermal resources
enhanced geothermal systems (EGS)
geothermal exploration and drilling
geothermal applications
environmental impact assessment
multi-energy hybrid systems
geothermal policy and economics

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Research

20 pages, 69379 KB

Open AccessArticle

Geothermal Anomaly Identification and Analysis Based on Remote Sensing Technology and Multi-Source Data in the Datong Basin, China

by Daozhi An, Xucai Zhang, Meihua Wei, Yanguang Liu, Wenlong Zhou and Zhiyuan Kang

Sustainability 2026, 18(5), 2407; https://doi.org/10.3390/su18052407 - 2 Mar 2026

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Abstract

With increasing worldwide attention to green and sustainable energy, thermal infrared remote sensing technology has gained significant popularity for detecting geothermal anomalies, as it can overcome the limitations of traditional ground surveys. This study explores the potential application of thermal infrared images in geothermal exploration within the Datong Basin. We mainly utilized Landsat-8 images to obtain the actual land surface temperature (LST), hydrothermal alteration, and linear structures of the Datong Basin. Radiative transfer equation algorithm (RTE), principal component analysis (PCA), and interactive interpretation method were applied in this study. The results show that LST retrieval through the RTE method accurately reveals geothermal anomalies in the Datong Basin. Five areas with distinct high-LST values were identified as geothermal anomaly zones based on field investigation, including Xiejiatun, Gushancun, Taipingpu, Shuitongsi, and Wenjiayao–Yuanjialiang. Effective estimation of hydrothermal alteration zones (dominated by clays, OH⁻/H₂O, and carbonates) in the basin was achieved using the PCA method and band combinations. In total, 394 linear structures were obtained through interactive interpretation, including 45 concealed structures. All of these linear structures were associated with deep-seated faults. The basin’s primary controlling structures are the Yunmen Mountain piedmont fault (F1-1) and the northern margin of Xiong’er Mountain faults (F1-2 and F1-3), with F1-1 and F1-3 playing a key role in regional thermal regulation. The high-LST premium geothermal target zones of Shuitongsi and Gushancun were identified based on remote sensing interpretations and geothermal geological conditions. Furthermore, strong consistency was verified between the remote sensing predictions and four deep drilling temperature field measurements. This study confirms that remote sensing is an effective approach for geothermal potential identification, providing a scientific basis for future sustainable resource exploration in other regions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Geothermal Resource Assessment and Sustainable Exploration and Utilization)

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28 pages, 5718 KB

Open AccessArticle

Differences in Geothermal Fluids in Sandstone and Carbonate Geothermal Reservoirs Based on Isotope Characteristics

by Hanxiong Zhang, Guiling Wang, Wei Zhang and Jiayi Zhao

Sustainability 2026, 18(2), 766; https://doi.org/10.3390/su18020766 - 12 Jan 2026

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Abstract

Geothermal fluids are the main carrier of hydrothermal geothermal resources. Identifying the differences in geothermal fluids in different types of reservoirs is a prerequisite and fundamental for the efficient development of geothermal resources and is of great significance for scientific research on geothermal resources. The North China Plain contains a typical carbonate thermal reservoir, and in this paper, the hydrochemical, isotopic, and redox characteristics of the geothermal fluids in sandstone and carbonate reservoirs are studied to obtain the differences in the geothermal fluids in the Rongcheng geothermal field in Xiong’an New Area. The results indicate that the geothermal fluids in the sandstone and carbonate reservoirs are mainly supplied by atmospheric rainfall, and the hydrochemical type is mainly Cl-Na type. By comparing and analyzing the stable isotope (O, H, C, S, and Sr) characteristics of the two types of geothermal fluids, it is found that the variation range of δ13C values for two types of sandstone thermal storage geothermal fluids was found to be −10.6‰~−12.8‰, while the variation range of δ¹³C values for carbonate thermal storage geothermal fluids was −3.3‰~−7.5‰. The ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratio of sandstone thermal storage geothermal fluids was distributed between 0.708–0.718, and the ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratio of carbonate thermal storage geothermal fluids was distributed between 0.708–0.713. The range of δ³⁴S values for sandstone thermal storage geothermal fluids was +9.46‰~+10.5‰, and the range of δ³⁴S values for carbonate thermal storage geothermal fluids was +24.84‰~+34.49‰. The two types of geothermal fluids have been subjected to varying degrees of oxidation-reduction, and their cycling and mixing characteristics are different. This has resulted in the formation of relatively oxidized geothermal fluids in the sandstone geothermal reservoir and relatively reduced geothermal fluids in the carbonate geothermal reservoir. In future development and utilization of geothermal resources, paying attention to the basic characteristics of the geothermal fluids in different reservoirs and identifying the differences in different geothermal fluids can further improve the efficiency of geothermal resource development and utilization. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Geothermal Resource Assessment and Sustainable Exploration and Utilization)

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