Geothermal Power and Heat
Valgardur
Stefánsson
Orkustofnun
Grensásvegur 9, Reykjavík, Iceland
Clean geothermal energy has been utilized for centuries and the commercial production spans more than 70 years. At present, there are records of geothermal utilization in more than fifty countries in the world. Geothermal energy is used both directly as heat and for the generation of electricity. In the year 1997, the utilization of geothermal energy in the world was the following:
|
Installed
capacity |
Energy
produced TWh/a |
|
| Direct use for heating | 9,700 | 35.1 |
| Generation of electricity | 8,020 | 43.8 |
The use of geothermal energy has increased rapidly during the last three decades. In this period the growth rate for electricity generation has been 9% per annum and about 6% per annum for direct thermal use.
Geothermal energy is highly
competitive to other energy sources in most countries, and the cost range
is:
|
Investment
cost $/kW |
Energy cost $/kWh |
|
| Direct use | 200 - 2,000 | 0.005 - 0.05 |
| Electricity | 800 - 3,000 | 0.02 - 0.10 |
The variation in cost is more depending on infrastructure conditions than on resource conditions.
The world potential of geothermal energy is large:
| World potential | ||
| GW | TWh/a | |
| Direct use | > 80,000 | > 400,000 |
| Electricity | 5,000 | 22,000 |
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http://www.cmdc.net/publications.php
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Valgardur Stefánsson is the Chief Project Manager of
the Energy Resources Division at Orkustofnun, Iceland. He has a Fil. dr. degree
in nuclear structure from the University of Stockholm and 30 years professional
experience within geothermal energy. He has served as the Deputy Director
of the Geothermal Division of Orkustofnun and an Interregional Advisor on
Geothermal Energy at the United Nations DTCD in New York, and has acted as
geothermal consultant in some 15 countries outside Iceland. He is a member
of the Scientific Council of INTAS, board member of the International Geothermal
Association, and a member of the Nordic Energy Research Committee for Petroleum
Technology.
The UNISEO working groups will add more information.