The session welcomes contributions about shallow geothermal energy applications, including traditional closed- and open-loop borehole heat exchangers as well as so-called energy geostructures.
Different types of analysis and approaches are relevant to this session aiming to engage discussions on successful and less successful experiences at different scales:
Small scale (system): spanning from the evaluation of ground thermal properties to the mapping of shallow geothermal potential or local thermal interferences, from energy storage and innovative materials to sustainability issues and consequences of the geothermal energy use, from the design of new heat exchangers and installation techniques to the energy and thermo-(hydro-) mechanical performance of energy geostructures (e.g. thermo-active foundations, walls, tunnels).
Large scale (city or larger): the sustainability of subsurface water and energy resources may be jeopardized by human activities as well as by climate change. Relevant studies in densely urbanized areas unraveling the impact on/by groundwater characteristics may include: 1) monitoring evidence of physical-chemical-biological changes associated with subsurface warming, 2) elucidate interactions between shallow geothermal systems (and other heating sources), 3) assessment of the potential and sustainability of shallow geothermal energy at the city scale.
Contributions based on experimental, analytical, numerical modelling and artificial intelligence techniques are welcome as well as interventions about legislative and social-economic aspects.