This general session of the Energy, Resources and the Environment (ERE) division provides an overview of its multi- and interdisciplinarity, which is essential to tackle challenges of the future. Beside others, this is to provide adequate and reliable supplies of affordable energy and other (geo-)resources, obtained in environmentally sustainable ways, which is the basis for economic prosperity, environmental quality and political stability. This session also features contributions of general interest within the ERE community, which are not covered by other ERE sessions. Aim of this session is to provide an overview of topics within the ERE domain, in particular for colleagues affiliated mainly with other divisions, who are interested in topics within ERE.

This session addresses spatial and temporal modelling of renewable energy systems, both in a prospective as well as in a retrospective manner. Therefore, contributions which model the characteristics of future renewable energy systems are equally welcome as contributions assessing the characteristics of the past performance of renewable energies. Session contributions may reach from assessments of climate data based simulations of renewable generation, over assessments of land use implications of renewables, to economic assessments linked to spatial and temporal variability of renewables and full energy system model studies applied to understand energy systems with high shares of renewables.

Studies may for instance:
Show the spatial and temporal variability of renewable energy sources, including resource droughts and complementarity between technologies and locations.
Assess the resilience of energy systems to weather and climate extreme events, with a focus on infrastructure and resource adequacy, and analyze economic incentives to ensure reliable energy systems under current regulatory, market and tariff conditions.
Derive scenarios for the spatial allocation of renewable energies based on climatic, technical, economic, or social criteria.
Assess past spatial deployment patterns of renewables.
Assess past impacts on land cover and land-use, including impacts on biodiversity and other environmental indicators
Explore and quantify impacts of wind and solar power deployment on the social and natural environment in a spatially explicit way, including economic valuations of such impacts
Derive integrated scenarios of energy systems with high shares of renewables (Including systems from the local scale, e.g. in form of local Energy Communities, to the national or continental scale).

The objective of the session is to provide an insight into recent advances in the field of renewable energy system modeling. The session welcomes research dedicated to climatic and technical issues, assessments of environmental impacts, economic analysis of markets, policies and regulations, and forecasting applications , concerning renewable energy systems.

Hydropower is a mature and cost-competitive renewable energy source, which helps stabilize fluctuations between energy demand and supply. The structural and operational differences between hydropower systems and renewable energy farms may require changes in the way hydropower facilities operate to provide balancing, reserves or energy storage. Yet, non-power constraints on hydropower systems, such as water supply, flood control, conservation, recreation, navigation may affect the ability of hydropower to adjust and support the integration of renewables. Holistic approaches that may span a range of spatial and temporal scales are needed to evaluate hydropower opportunities and support a successful integration maintaining a resilient and reliable power grid. In particular, there is a need to better understand and predict spatio-temporal dynamics between climate, hydrology, and power systems.

This session solicits academics and practitioners contributions that explore the use of hydropower and storage technologies to support the transition to low-carbon electricity systems. We specifically encourage interdisciplinary teams of hydrologists, meteorologists, ecologist, power system engineers, and economists to present on case studies and discuss collaboration with environmental and energy policymakers.

Questions of interest include:

- Prediction of water availability and storage capabilities for hydropower production

- Prediction and quantification of the space-time dependences and the positive/negative feedbacks between wind/solar energies, water cycle and hydropower

- Energy, land use and water supply interactions during transitions

- Policy requirements or climate strategies needed to manage and mitigate risks in the transition

- Energy production impacts on ecosystems such as hydropeaking effects on natural flow regimes.

This session has the support of the a) Cost Action : Pan-European Network for Sustainable Hydropower (PEN@Hydropower), and b) European Energy Research Alliance (EERA), that established the joint program “Hydropower” to facilitate research, promote hydropower and enable sustainable electricity production. Further information can be found here:
https://www.pen-hydropower.eu/
https://www.eera-set.eu/eera-joint-programmes-jps/list-of-jps/hydropower/

Weather forecasting and its application is one of the most important subject in meteorology. This session will focus on R&D on weather forecasting techniques and applications, in particular those AI based techniques and application. Contributions related to nowcasting, meso-scale and convection permitting modelling, ensemble prediction techniques, and statistical post-processing are very welcome.

Topics may include:

- AI based Nowcasting methods and systems, use of observations and weather analysis
- Physics and AI driven Mesoscale and convection permitting modelling
- Development on AI for Ensemble prediction techniques and products
- AI for weather forecasting application
- AI for Seamless prediction and application
- Statistical and AI NWP Post-processing
- Use of machine learning, data mining and other advanced analytical techniques
- Presentation of results from relevant international research projects of EU, WMO, and EUMETNET etc.

Critical raw materials, geothermal energy, hydrogen storage, and carbon capture and storage (CCS) all play a vital role in the energy transition and in securing Europe's strategic resources. Exploration and monitoring of these resources and infrastructures require affordable, reliable, and scalable geophysical methods to reduce subsurface uncertainty, de-risk drilling, and ensure safe and sustainable operation.

In recent years, passive seismic imaging has emerged as a cost-effective exploration tool, particularly valuable in complex geological settings and at depths beyond the reach of conventional active methods. These approaches are increasingly demonstrating their potential not only for geothermal and subsurface storage applications, but also for mining exploration.

This session invites contributions that advance passive seismic methodology and modeling for applications to subsurface imaging, as well as case studies showcasing applications to critical raw material exploration, mining, geothermal energy, hydrogen storage, and CCS. We particularly encourage studies highlighting integration of passive seismic techniques into industrial exploration workflows, and contributions spanning ambient-noise and/or earthquake-based approaches.

Geothermal energy emerges as a critical component of the urban energy transition, offering constant base-load energy supply, minimal land requirement, and integration into multicomponent energy networks. This session explores the scientific, engineering, and strategic foundations necessary to unlock the potential of geothermal energy in urban settings.
We invite contributions across the spectrum of geothermal technologies: hydrothermal, petrothermal, closed-loop, enhanced geothermal systems (EGS), and aquifer or borehole thermal energy storage (ATES/BTES). Reliable forecasting and sustainable geothermal utilization require solid understanding of the subsurface structure and physical properties. Integrated exploration strategies—seismic, geological, and geophysical studies—combined with consistent monitoring during operation is vital for optimal reservoir management and for minimizing environmental impacts.
The session further addresses the complex interaction between reservoir heterogeneity, imposed perturbations by operation, and impact on governing physical processes. These coupled mechanisms may cause stress redistribution or rock deformation and—in faulted/fractured reservoirs or EGS projects—enhance the seismic risk. Understanding the coupled thermal-hydraulic-mechanical-chemical (THMC) response of geothermal systems is thus crucial for predictive analyses, sustainable operation, and risk mitigation. Contributions on predicting and mitigating induced seismicity, including risk management approaches such as traffic light systems, are especially encouraged.
To this end, we welcome diverse methodological approaches: analytical studies, laboratory and field experiments, multiphysics numerical modeling, and data-driven or machine learning approaches resolving the relevant physical mechanisms across spatial and temporal scales. Case studies and operating geothermal projects highlighting engineering challenges (e.g. wellbore stability, scaling), successful methodologies and engineering solutions, or novel geothermal concepts are especially valuable.
Beyond engineering innovation, the session addresses the broader context of geothermal deployment in urban environments. We invite contributions on management strategies of the geothermal resource and integration into urban energy planning. By showcasing innovative research and practical applications, this session highlights the multifaceted potential of geothermal energy in advancing the urban energy transition.

Naturally fractured reservoirs and faulted rock masses govern fluid flow, mechanical behaviour and long-term performance across a wide range of subsurface applications, including hydrogeology, geothermal energy, hydrocarbons, nuclear waste disposal and CO₂ storage. This joint session brings together contributions that advance our understanding of fracture and fault systems, hydraulic and mechanical properties, and complex interactions between fluids, stresses and evolving discontinuities.

Fractures and faults can modify bulk rock properties by orders of magnitude, impose strong anisotropy, and form primary conduits for fluid flow and transport. Their behaviour is inherently nonlinear and highly sensitive to fluid-rock interactions, which can change transmissibility over time. These dynamic processes influence reservoir productivity, containment performance, induced seismicity potential and operational risks in geoenergy and storage projects.

Representing and modelling these systems remains a challenging task due to their structural complexity, spatial variability in physical properties, and multi-scale deformation processes. Integrating field observations, monitoring data, laboratory measurements and numerical modelling is essential to capture fracture-network evolution and fluid-driven changes. We especially welcome contributions on faults and fractures addressing:

• Structural characterisation using deterministic or stochastic approaches
• Numerical methods for continuous, discontinuous (DFN), or hybrid media
• Simulation of coupled or individual (THMC) processes
• Deterministic and stochastic inversion techniques for model calibration and uncertainty reduction
• Interdisciplinary studies linking deformation processes, transmissibility changes and fluid-rock interactions
• Applications to geothermal, groundwater, petroleum, CO₂ storage, waste repositories and other low-carbon subsurface technologies

We encourage submissions spanning multiple scales from laboratory experiments to reservoir-scale analyses and studies that bridge the gap between observation, measurement and simulation. Research integrating diverse methods to improve predictive understanding of fault and fracture behaviour in subsurface energy systems is particularly welcome, and early-career scientists are warmly encouraged to contribute.

Highlights:
Keynote speeches by PETER EICHHUBL (University of Texas at Austin) and ANA PAULA BURGOA TANAKA (Université de Neuchâtel)

Sitting under a tree, you feel the spark of an idea, and suddenly everything falls into place. The following days and tests confirm: you have made a magnificent discovery — so the classical story of scientific genius goes…

But science as a human activity is error-prone, and might be more adequately described as "trial and error". Handling mistakes and setbacks is therefore a key skill of scientists. Yet, we publish only those parts of our research that did work. That is also because a study may have better chances to be accepted for scientific publication if it confirms an accepted theory or reaches a positive result (publication bias). Conversely, the cases that fail in their test of a new method or idea often end up in a drawer (which is why publication bias is also sometimes called the "file drawer effect"). This is potentially a waste of time and resources within our community, as other scientists may set about testing the same idea or model setup without being aware of previous failed attempts.

Thus, we want to turn the story around, and ask you to share 1) those ideas that seemed magnificent but turned out not to be, and 2) the errors, bugs, and mistakes in your work that made the scientific road bumpy. In the spirit of open science and in an interdisciplinary setting, we want to bring the BUGS out of the drawers and into the spotlight. What ideas were torn down or did not work, and what concepts survived in the ashes or were robust despite errors?

We explicitly solicit Blunders, Unexpected Glitches, and Surprises (BUGS) from modeling and field or lab experiments and from all disciplines of the Geosciences.

In a friendly atmosphere, we will learn from each other’s mistakes, understand the impact of errors and abandoned paths on our work, give each other ideas for shared problems, and generate new insights for our science or scientific practice.

Here are some ideas for contributions that we would love to see:
- Ideas that sounded good at first, but turned out to not work.
- Results that presented themselves as great in the first place but turned out to be caused by a bug or measurement error.
- Errors and slip-ups that resulted in insights.
- Failed experiments and negative results.
- Obstacles and dead ends you found and would like to warn others about.

For inspiration, see last year's collection of BUGS - ranging from clay bricks to atmospheric temperature extremes - at https://meetingorganizer.copernicus.org/EGU25/session/52496.

This session focuses on establishing an inventory of geoscience technologies (e.g., data acquisition methods, characterisation approaches, static and dynamic modelling techniques) and societal approaches during the exploration and appraisal of geothermal projects. The goal of this session is to enable cross-disciplinary knowledge sharing that helps to improve our understanding of geothermal resources across different geological settings, reduce exploration risks, and ensure the safe and sustainable exploitation of this energy source. A collaborative, transdisciplinary, and collegial discussion will be crucial to accelerating geothermal project deployment in Europe and beyond.
We welcome interdisciplinary contributions from the fields of geology, geophysics, geochemistry, geomechanics, hydrogeology, machine learning, and static and dynamic geomodelling, including case studies from different geological settings such as sedimentary aquifers, volcanic systems, or fractured basements.