TALENTS — The doctoral rift science network for the energy transition

Results in brief

The doctoral rift science network for the energy transition

Active and ancient continental rifts are at the centre of a green energy and low carbon future. For the ~50 years since the birth of plate tectonics theory, studies of how and why continents break apart and new oceans form have been driven to a large degree by the search for hydrocarbons. This has led to significant knowledge gaps on key aspects of continental rifting, such as the controlling factors that allow rifts to initiate and then break up to form a new ocean, the interaction between surface processes and subsurface tectonics, the transfer of heat and mass due to fluid flow and magmatic activity, and the potential for alternative energies and their associated challenges. However, society is now at one of the most critical moments in history, with significant reductions in CO2 emissions required to keep average global temperatures sufficiently low. To achieve this, the majority of climate models require a transition to the use of low CO2 emitting sustainable “green” energy sources, such as geothermal, and also to capture and store CO2 below ground.

Data: CORDIS, © European Union

Project objective

TALENTS is a European based research network aiming to train early career researchers with the interdisciplinary, science-driven understanding and skills that are the foundation to develop new sustainable solutions for the global challenges of the energy transition. Our joint research focuses on continental rifts which are key regions for geothermal energy, carbon capture and storage, for new resources such as native hydrogen as well as high-risk human habitats due to geohazards such as earthquakes and volcanic activity. We believe that only if we better understand the natural process chains that shape rifts and passive continental margins by investigating key natural laboratories, characterising rift initiation (East African Rift), rift maturation (Gulf of Corinth in Greece, Central European Rifts), and continental breakup (West Iberian margin), we will obtain key knowledge for a safe and sustainable exploration for new, carbon free energies. TALENTS fuses research and training at 18 beneficiaries and academic partners that are among the world leaders in the study of rift systems and 11 companies that are actively involved in the energy transition. The 12 PhD projects address fundamental scientific aspects of rift system processes, collectively bridging several orders of magnitude of spatial and temporal scales. Each doctoral candidate is linked to (1) an academic partner to complement and broaden their scientific training, (2) to a dedicated industry partner to acquire industry-relevant skills and preview possible non-academic career paths, and (3) to a media contact to actively train in communicating their science to the public. Training by research and interaction will be complemented by various forms of education, spanning a wide range of topics to develop scientific and professional skills, to establish ethical standards and to widen career perspectives.

Original text from CORDIS.

Participants

GFZ HELMHOLTZ-ZENTRUM FUR GEOFORSCHUNG · POTSDAMCoordinatorGermany
45-8 GROUP · METZFrance
ACRI ST SAS · Sophia Antipolis Cedex BiotFrance
ADDIS ABABA UNIVERSITY · Addis AbabaEthiopia
BUNDESAMT FUER LANDESTOPOGRAFIE SWISSTOPO · WabernSwitzerland
CENTRE NATIONAL DE LA RECHERCHE SCIENTIFIQUE CNRS · ParisFrance
CONSIGLIO NAZIONALE DELLE RICERCHE · RomaItaly
CV ASSOCIES ENGINEERING · PUTEAUXFrance
DEUTSCHE ERDWARME GMBH & CO. KG · KARLSRUHEGermany
ECOLE NORMALE SUPERIEURE · ParisFrance
EQUINOR ENERGY AS · StavangerNorway
ETHNIKO ASTEROSKOPEIO ATHINON · ATHINAGreece
ETHNIKO KAI KAPODISTRIAKO PANEPISTIMIO ATHINON · ATHINAGreece
GEOSYSTEMS HELLAS IT KAI EFARMOGESGEOPLIROFORIAKON SYSTIMATON ANONIMIETAIREIA · ATHINAGreece
IMPERIAL COLLEGE OF SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY AND MEDICINE · LondonUnited Kingdom
KONINKLIJK NEDERLANDS METEOROLOGISCH INSTITUUT-KNMI · De BiltNetherlands
NORGES GEOLOGISKE UNDERSOKELSE · TrondheimNorway
NORGES TEKNISK-NATURVITENSKAPELIGE UNIVERSITET NTNU · TrondheimNorway
ORKUVEITA REYKJAVIKUR SF · ReykjavikIceland
REPSOL EXPLORACION SA · MadridSpain
RHEINISCH-WESTFAELISCHE TECHNISCHE HOCHSCHULE AACHEN · AachenGermany
Reykjavik Geothermal ehf. · ReykjavíkIceland
SORBONNE UNIVERSITE · ParisFrance
THE UNIVERSITY OF BIRMINGHAM · BirminghamUnited Kingdom
THE WORLD BANK GROUP · Washington DcUnited States
Terrabotics Ltd · LondonUnited Kingdom
UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI FIRENZE · FlorenceItaly
UNIVERSITAET BERN · BernSwitzerland
UNIVERSITAET POTSDAM · PotsdamGermany
UNIVERSITE DE LORRAINE · Nancy CedexFrance
UNIVERSITE DE STRASBOURG · StrasbourgFrance
UNIVERSITEIT UTRECHT · UtrechtNetherlands

TALENTS · The doctoral rift science network for the energy transition

Results in brief

The doctoral rift science network for the energy transition

Project objective

Participants

Links