GIS-supported mapping of shallow geothermal potential of representative areas in south-western Germany—Possibilities and limitations

The increasing interest in the utilization of shallow geothermal energy comes with the wish for better knowledge about the factors influencing its efficiency. For this purposes we focused on the subsurface condition's influence on the use of borehole heat exchangers (BHEs) coupled with a heat pump for heating purposes, since this is the most popular heat-extracting technique. We created maps showing the potential for this technique provided by the thermal underground properties. Therefore, we established an underground model for two study areas in south-western Germany with different geological settings using a geographic information system (GIS). The subsurface has been divided into layers with similar thermal properties based on geological, hydrogeological and lithological information. The layers have been attached with specific heat extraction values, according to the German VDI guideline 4640. For depths of 50 and 100 m, the weighted mean value of the specific heat extraction was calculated and presented within maps. These maps point out how the heat-extraction potential differs within and between the study areas and how it depends on depth.