GeoEnergy

Ireland has committed to reduce CO2 emissions by 80% of 1990 levels across the electricity generation, heating and transport sectors by 2050. The Sustainable GeoEnergy Group at the UCD School of Earth Science brings together different expertise to support these challenges through applied geoscience research, focusing on geological applications to reduce carbon emissions and provision of alternative energy sources and storage. 

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€41m

€41million SFI funding for the Irish Centre for Research in Applied Geosciences (iCRAG) hosted by UCD.

1

No 1 in Ireland for Environmental Sciences - 2022 QS World University Subject Rankings.

€7.5m

iCRAG partnering on €7.5 million VECTOR project to explore potential for mining critical raw materials in Europe.

130

130 researchers across UCD are working in the area of GeoEnergy.

Research Units and Programmes

Sustainable GeoEnergy Group

Collaboration of experts from UCD and beyond tackling Energy issues through applications in GeoEnergy research.

 

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iCRAG, SFI Research Centre for Applied Geosciences

Creating a sustainable world through innovative science and technologies to better understand the Earth’s past, present, and future and how people are connect with it. Based at UCD.

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GREENPEG

Consortium of 13 academic, government and industry partners focussed on new techniques to explore raw materials essential to the manufature of green energy devices (energy storage, photovoltaic, wind turbine, and capacitor manufacturing).

 

 

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GEO-URBAN

UCD Fault Analysis Group (FAG) GEOTHERMICA H2020 project exploring the potential for low enthalpy geothermal energy to generate heat in urban areas. 

 

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VECTOR

iCRAG is partnering on this Horizon Europe project which will address the supply of raw materials needed to manufacture the technologies (e.g. wind turbines and batteries) that underpin the green energy transition. 

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Geonorm

Informed by the UCDGeothermal project, GEONORM will provide a novel demonstration of geothermal heat use on UCD campus. Funded by SEAI and GSI, the project fosters collaboration between industry and academia toward decarbonising the heating sector.

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CCS Celtic Sea

UCD Fault Analysis Group (FAG) project identifying potential sites for CO2 storage in the North Celtic Sea Basin by taking advantage of Ireland’s legacy hydrocarbon exploration database.

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UCD Earth Institute

Fostering multidiscipline research to improve fundamental understanding of our rapidly changing environment and find solutions for a sustainable future.

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Impact

Oireachtas Report into geothermal energy potential in Ireland

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Finding critical minerals for the clean energy transition

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GEO-URBAN Report: Identifying deep geothermal heat resources in urban environments

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November 2021

What do Ireland's shipwrecks have to do with renewable energy?

  • Geo Energy, Wind Turbines, Sustainable Power, Geoscience

How are the sea’s secrets helping map out more sustainable, off-shore power sources? UCD Ad Astra Fellow Dr Mark Coughlan and iCRAG colleagues are working with coastal communities to unlock the mysteries of shipwrecks on the seabed. This BBC StoryWorks ‘Unlocking Science’ episode highlights the innovative use of shipwrecks to map the sea bed to inform the siting of offshore windfarms.

 

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Featured Researchers

Prof John Walsh

Professor at UCD School of Earth Sciences, a founding Director of iCRAG and the Fault Analysis Group, PI of Geo-Urban, Geonorm and CCS Celtic Sea.

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Prof Murray W. Hitzman 

Professor of Economic Geology at UCD Earth Sciences, Director of iCRAG, research focus on raw materials, sustainable resourcing, education and public engagement.

 

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Dr Kara English

Assistant Professor of Sedimentology, leading the Sustainable GeoEnergy Research Group, iCRAG member, research focus on the challenges and solutions of the energy transition.

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Dr Mark Coughlan

Assistant Professor at UCD School of Earth Sciences, Ad Astra Fellow, iCRAG member, leading researcher on the sustainable use of the seabed to address climate change and energy transition issues. 

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Fostering international collaborations across continents

The UNESCO iCRAG ReSToRE summer school brings together 49 interdisciplinary, early-career geologists and social scientists from developing and 10 developed countries to explore how society should meet the challenge of providing the metals and minerals needed for the energy transition in a just and sustainable way. Its participants come from Brazil, Papua New Guinea, Zambia, the Philippines, Canada, Germany, Ireland and many more to grow collaborations, forge institutional connections for the future, and work together towards developing sustainable solutions. Halleluya Ecknando, an early career professional from Namibia attended ReSToRE and met her PhD Supervisor there. She is currently finishing her PhD at UCD School of Earth Sciences and is frequently invited to speak at UNESCO events on gender and sustainability issues. 

 

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Publications

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May 2022

Carbon Capture and Storage Potential in Ireland — Returning Carbon Whence It Came

Earthdoc

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April 2022

An Overview of Carbon Capture and Storage and its Potential Role in the Energy Transition

First Break

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June 2020

Geological and geotechnical constraints in the Irish Sea for offshore renewable energy

Journal of Maps

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UCD School of Earth Sciences
UCD Earth Institute
UCD School of Engineering and Architecture
UCD College of Business