MUSE was one of the GeoERA projects under the GeoEnergy theme. It investigated resources and possible conflicts of use associated with the use of shallow geothermal energy (SGE) in European urban areas and delivered key geoscientific subsurface data to stakeholders via a user-friendly web based GeoERA information platform (GIP). The assessment of geothermal resources and conflicts of use lead to the development of management strategies considering both efficient planning and monitoring of environmental impacts to feed into general framework strategies of cities like Sustainable Energy Action Plans (SEAPs). The developed methods and approaches were tested and evaluated together with input from local stakeholders in 14 urban pilot areas across Europe representative for different conditions of SGE use. The pilot areas chosen were geologically and climatologically diverse and had a range of heating and cooling degree day characteristics, making the project outcomes and shared learnings relevant to the whole of Europe and beyond. In the MUSE project, all relevant aspects by capitalising upon existing knowledge, identifying and closing specific knowledge gaps and providing joint proposals on methodologies, criteria and concepts on SGE management were adressed. Workflows to focus on local scale investigations suitable for densely-populated urban areas, where national heating and cooling demand is generally highest, and which will represent the most important SGE market in the future were adressed. The outcomes of the project represent a comprehensive collection of methods, approaches and tools, which can be transferred to other urban regions in Europe and adapted by other organisations.
Project facts:
Project duration: 1 July 2018 – 31 October 2021.
Project Lead: Gregor Götzl, Geological Survey of Austria.
Project page on GeoERA website: https://geoera.eu/projects/muse3/
Sub pages:
Pilot urban areas in the MUSE project
Fact sheets of shallow geothermal concepts
Project results
GIS viewer for MUSE results:
Through this viewer the results of the MUSE project are accessible:
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