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EnerGEO

Earth Observation for monitoring and assessment of the environmental impact of energy use

As part of the EU Seventh Framework Program, the EnerGEO project was established to devise a strategy for estimating the present and future influence of the exploitation and use of energy resources on the environment and various ecosystems. This assessment will be based on models and remote sensing data. The potentials of the Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS) are to be particularly integrated.
The strategy is to be demonstrated making use of pilot projects involving a variety of energy sources, including fossil fuels, biomass, solar energy and wind power.

EnerGEO combines:

• Existing models like EPIX, BETHY, TASES, REMIX and MESSAGE which describe the use and coupling of various energy carriers as energy sources,
• Earth observation data and products, in order to derive environmental indicators and with their help to quantify environmental changes in water bodies, the biosphere and the atmosphere,
• Existing and upcoming models which can be used to estimate the costs of exploiting and consuming energy resources, and particularly the environmental influence on ecosystems.

A distributed system is to be established to globally record and distribute data and information related to the exploitation and use of energy sources. It is to be consistent with GEO architecture and follow the recommendations of the GEO Data Committee (ADC). The system is also to taken into consideration the environmental influence of different types of energy consumption.

With the help of remote sensing data and models, DLR’s German Remote Sensing Data Center (DFD) will estimate available solar and bioenergy potentials as part of the pilot projects, and the DLR Institute of Technical Thermodynamics will carry out an energy system analysis using the REMIX model. The geographical focus for the pilot projects will be Europe and Pakistan.

Partners:

• TNO (Nederlandse Organisatie voor Toegepast Natuurwetenschappelijk Onderzoek), coordinator, Netherlands
• SRON (National Institute for Space Research), Netherlands
• Uniresearch B.V., Netherlands
• BMT-ARGOSS, Netherlands
• ARMINES (Association pour la Recherche et le Dévelopement des Méthodes et Processus Industriels), France
• DLR (German Aerospace Center) Germany
• DFD (German Remote Sensing Data Center) and the Institute of Technical Thermodynamics
• IUTA (Institute of Energy and Environmental Technology e.V.), Germany
• Research Studies Austria Forschungsgesellschaft mbH, Austria
• IIASA (International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis), Austria
• ZGIS (Centre for Geoinformatics), Austria
• AGH (Akademia Gorniczo-Hutnicza), Poland
• SUPARCO (Pakistan Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission), Pakistan