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Unlocking Geothermal Energy
Deep geological conditions in Saudi Arabia are favorable for geothermal energy. This abundant, clean, sustainable alternative energy resource can provide sustainable baseload energy for heating/cooling, water desalination, and generating electricity—benefiting not just the Arabian Peninsula but other regions in the world. KAUST researchers are investigating the geothermal energy potential along the Red Sea, specifically targeting syn-rift sedimentary basins near Al-Lith and at the Red Sea Development Project - the most ambitious regenerative tourism project on the globe - and NEOM – Saudi’s city of the future. With state-of-the-art tools, we are building 3D geological models of these areas and conducting simulations to estimate the best economic and most sustainable use of this geothermal reservoir. At the same time, we are working on how to safely stockpile this energy source, using underwater compressed air energy storage.
This research is part of
KAUST's Circular Carbon Initiative (CCI)
Our first step in geothermal exploration is to estimate the 3D thermal structure of the target region.
We then apply innovative analytics to produce a model that can assess heat mining potential. even with limited data.
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