Technical Cooperation: Geothermal Energy resources for municipal development – Contribution of remote sensing unit
Report of the project:
The regional project Exploration of geothermal energy resources for municipal development is a continuation of the regional project Identification of geothermal resources in Central America that was completed in 2020.
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Cooperating countries in Central America
Source: BGR
The current geothermal project focusses on the exploration of geothermal sites, and in particular on the integration of the collected data in the local municipal development. Five pilot areas for investigation are defined in the region, being located in Nicaragua, El Salvador, Costa Rica,Honduras and the Dominican Republic.
Several remote sensing data and methods are applied to support the exploration of geothermal sites. The used remote sensing data are mainly satellite-derived products. Recently, the use of unmanned aerial vehicles, in particular drones, gains greater attention, as these systems provide wide-ranging possibilities for detailed analysis of the study areas, as for example the application of thermal sensors for the investigation of thermal anomalies.
Data basis for the pilot area Bagaces in Costa Rica: Sentinel-2 imagery, band combination 12-8a-5, and SRTM digital elevation data (contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2020)
Source: BGR
Part of the basic investigations of an area selected for exploration are the mapping of lineaments. Such studies can be conducted based on freely available multispectral data, for example Sentinel-2 or Landsat, and digital elevation data (SRTM), providing a cost-effective way to gather initial information on the geothermal potential of an area. Lineaments on the earth's surface indicate the presence of structures and faults in the subsurface that are of significant importance for the permeability of a geothermal system. Information about the lineament network supports locating the surface expressions of a geothermal reservoir (manifestations) like fumaroles, hot springs or alterations, and moreover, determining areas where the circulation of hydrothermal fluids is facilitated by a dense structure and fault network.
In addition to the planned lineament mapping in the pilot areas, the collaboration in Costa Rica and Honduras focuses on the use of drones. In the Bagaces region in Costa Rica and in the Valle and Choluteca regions in Honduras, thermal sensors carried by drones will be used for mapping thermal anomalies and measuring the temperature of geothermal manifestations.
The cooperation also aims to establish the application of remote sensing methods for the exploration of geothermal sites in a sustainable manner and to familiarize the project partners with the various applications through workshops and training courses.
Link to preceding project: Technical cooperation geothermal resources in Central America: Contribution of remote sensing unit