Prospects and problems of geothermal energy. Geothermal energy, geothermal resources of Dagestan Natural conditions necessary for the development of geothermal energy

The geothermal energy industry owes its emergence to such a natural phenomenon as an increase in the temperature of underground rock in proportion to depth. For every 36 meters in depth, the temperature increases by an average of 1 °C. Access to heated groundwater can be obtained not only through wells - some hot springs are natural geysers. The coolant is used not only for heating needs, but also to produce electricity using geothermal stations that convert steam into electricity.

In addition, the use of hot rocks in which there is no groundwater is practiced. In this case, power engineers pump water into underground horizons with its further selection in a heated state. High “dry” horizons, the temperature of which, however, does not reach the boiling point of water, are also found in a large number of territories where there is no volcanic activity at all, which gives geotherms the status of promising energy sources, regardless of their geographic location.

Hot Spring Energy: Distribution Factors

Geothermal energy is most widespread in two types of regions. First of all, it develops where, due to natural conditions, there are a large number of accessible hot springs. In addition, geotherms are used where there is a shortage of combustible minerals or the delivery of energy resources is complicated by the inaccessibility of the area. In a number of countries, heat or electricity produced using geothermal plants covers a significant share of energy costs.

Using this technology, consumers in American San Francisco receive about a third of their electricity. There are already four geothermal stations in Poland, one of which meets the needs of the resort town of Zakopane. Hot water supply in Lithuanian Klaipeda is provided entirely by the operation of a geothermal station. In the nineties, the total capacity of geothermal stations in the world was estimated at 5 GW; by the 2000s it exceeded 6 GW. A number of estimates suggest that geothermal energy production now exceeds 10 GW.

The situation in the birthplace of geothermal energy

Nature itself has decreed that Iceland has become a leading country in the use of geothermal sources. In this country, at a relatively shallow depth, the water temperature is sufficient to produce energy, which was made possible due to high volcanic activity. There are about a hundred volcanoes in the region, and the island itself is located at the junction of lithospheric plates.

Every nine out of ten houses in the country are heated with hot water from underground. The capital of Iceland, Reykjavik, has completely switched to geothermal heating since 1943, providing heat supply not only to the residential sector, but also to industrial enterprises. The state has almost completely abandoned traditional energy resources; 25% of the needs are met using geothermal sources, 70% are provided by hydroelectric power plants.

Its leading position in the industry gives Iceland the opportunity not only to be an energy self-sufficient country, but also to even export the energy generated by geothermal stations. In recent years, a project for organizing the supply of electricity generated at Icelandic geothermal power plants to the UK has been discussed. The British, in turn, are ready to lay a 750-mile sea cable. The project budget is estimated at billions of pounds. According to London's calculations, the implementation of the project will make it possible to provide a fifth of the country's electricity needs.

Popularity in Asia

Currently, geothermal energy is literally undergoing a rebirth in China. The industry has been abandoned in this country for forty years. Interest in it was renewed with the coming to power of the country's leader Xi Jinping. Thanks to the efforts of the Secretary General, the city of Xianyang can rightfully be considered the world capital of green energy. In the country as a whole, during the three years of Jinping's rule, the volume of geothermal energy production increased from 28 to 100 MW.

The industry development plan was included in the 13th Five-Year Plan program. To a large extent, the dynamic development of this area is facilitated by engineers from Iceland invited to work in China. According to preliminary calculations, the geothermal potential in China is comparable to the energy that can be obtained by burning 853 billion tons of coal.

It is with the overconsumption of the latter that attempts to find alternative resources are associated, since 66% of the energy received in the country is generated using coal. The geothermal strategy is expected to be implemented in a maximum of 10 years. Already, China accounts for 15% of global geothermal energy production. The PRC plans to achieve a generation volume of 2 GW.

The share of geothermal energy in Japan reaches 21%. However, its development is actively hampered by environmental social movements due to the fact that the use of geothermal sources leads to an increase in the threat of environmental pollution. However, we will dwell on the dangers of geothermal energy below.

Foreign experts believe that the industry has great prospects in Kazakhstan. In a number of regions of the country, the temperature of groundwater reaches the boiling point, which, along with the rising cost of traditional electricity, makes geotherms an attractive investment. Graham Norman, a professor at the University of Michigan who visited the republic, believes that Kazakhstan’s potential is no worse than Turkey’s, where geothermal energy is developing outside areas with high intensity hot springs.

Environmental and technical problems of the industry

The development of geothermal energy is significantly hampered by a number of problems inherent in this industry. Among the most serious obstacles is the need for a complex process of reinjecting waste coolant (water) containing toxic substances - arsenic, cadmium, zinc, lead, boron - into aquifers. This eliminates the possibility of releasing such water into the surface layers. In addition, the problem of hydrogen sulfide emissions into the atmosphere is acute.

For geothermal stations, among other things, unlike thermal power plants and even hydroelectric power plants, there is a strict binding of the construction site to certain areas depending on the geology. Often (except perhaps Iceland), such places are located in hard-to-reach areas, mountainous areas. One should not discount the high mineralization of groundwater, which over time leads to clogging of wells.

It is necessary to take into account the main development factor inherent in any industry - market demand. OPEC calculated that, despite the overall increase in demand for renewable energy resources, including geothermal, by 7.6% per year, by 2040 the share of such sources in energy production will be only 4.3%, inferior to traditional methods generation. Currently, the share of alternative energy is only 0.9% on the world market.

International recognition and future forecasts

However, at the international level, geothermal energy is considered a fairly promising area. The focus on developing this segment is confirmed by the decision of the recent Climate Summit in Paris. Representatives from 38 countries voted to increase geothermal energy production by 500%. The initiative to make such a decision belongs to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA). It is expected that the development of the industry will provide an opportunity to curb adverse climate change.

The summit resolution stated that this type of energy remains one of the cheapest, but the degree of development of the industry is extremely insufficient. About 90 states have potential for development in this area. Summit members recognized that the main obstacle to the implementation of geothermal projects is not the environment at all, but the need for significant investments in drilling operations. At the same time, sales of electricity can be carried out as sources are developed, without waiting for the projects to be fully implemented.

The use of geothermal sources can partially solve the problem of hunger in disadvantaged regions. Pronedra previously wrote that the UN believes that the introduction of geothermal energy will make it possible to reduce food shortages in a number of developing countries where there is simply no electricity to ensure food storage, and, as a result, to create conditions for the accumulation of food reserves.

Probably, taking into account the targeted international energy policy in this direction, cheap and effective methods will be introduced aimed at overcoming the risks of contamination of underground horizons and eliminating the technical problems that inevitably accompany geothermal energy. If the main obstacles to the development of the geothermal segment disappear, the industry will definitely begin to experience dynamic growth and over time will become a significant energy source for many countries around the world.

Geothermal energy- this is the energy of heat that is released from the internal zones of the Earth over hundreds of millions of years. According to geological and geophysical studies, the temperature in the Earth's core reaches 3,000-6,000 °C, gradually decreasing in the direction from the center of the planet to its surface. The eruption of thousands of volcanoes, the movement of blocks of the earth's crust, and earthquakes indicate the action of the powerful internal energy of the Earth. Scientists believe that the thermal field of our planet is due to radioactive decay in its depths, as well as gravitational separation of core matter.
The main sources of heating the planet's interior are uranium, thorium and radioactive potassium. Radioactive decay processes on continents occur mainly in the granite layer of the earth's crust at a depth of 20-30 km or more, in the oceans - in the upper mantle. It is assumed that at the base of the earth's crust at a depth of 10-15 km, the probable temperature value on the continents is 600-800 ° C, and in the oceans - 150-200 ° C.
Man can use geothermal energy only where it manifests itself close to the Earth's surface, i.e. in areas of volcanic and seismic activity. Now geothermal energy is effectively used by such countries as the USA, Italy, Iceland, Mexico, Japan, New Zealand, Russia, the Philippines, Hungary, and El Salvador. Here, the internal heat of the earth rises to the very surface in the form of hot water and steam with temperatures up to 300 ° C and often breaks out as the heat of gushing sources (geysers), for example, the famous geysers of Yellowstone Park in the USA, geysers of Kamchatka and Iceland.
Geothermal energy sources divided into dry hot steam, wet hot steam and hot water. The well, which is an important source of energy for the electric railway in Italy (near Larderello), has been powered by dry hot steam since 1904. Two other famous hot dry steam sites in the world are the Matsukawa Field in Japan and the Geyser Field near San Francisco, which also have a long and effective use of geothermal energy. The most moist hot steam in the world is found in New Zealand (Wairakei), geothermal fields of slightly less power are in Mexico, Japan, El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Russia.
Thus, four main types of geothermal energy resources can be distinguished:
ground surface heat used by heat pumps;
energy resources of steam, hot and warm water at the surface of the earth, which are now used in the production of electrical energy;
heat concentrated deep below the surface of the earth (possibly in the absence of water);
magma energy and heat that accumulates under volcanoes.

Geothermal heat reserves (~ 8 * 1030J) are 35 billion times greater than annual global energy consumption. Just 1% of the geothermal energy in the earth's crust (10 km depth) can provide an amount of energy that is 500 times greater than all the world's oil and gas reserves. However, today only a small part of these resources can be used, and this is due primarily to economic reasons. The industrial development of geothermal resources (the energy of hot deep waters and steam) began in 1916, when the first geothermal power plant with a capacity of 7.5 MW was commissioned in Italy. Over the past time, considerable experience has been accumulated in the field of practical development of geothermal energy resources. The total installed capacity of existing geothermal power plants (GeoTES) was: 1975 - 1,278 MW, in 1990 - 7,300 MW. The greatest progress in this matter has been achieved by the USA, Philippines, Mexico, Italy, and Japan.
The technical and economic parameters of geothermal power plants vary over a fairly wide range and depend on the geological characteristics of the area (depth of occurrence, parameters of the working fluid, its composition, etc.). For the majority of geothermal power plants put into operation, the cost of electricity is similar to the cost of electricity produced at coal-fired power plants and amounts to 1200 ... 2000 US dollars / MW.
In Iceland, 80% of homes are heated using hot water extracted from geothermal wells near the city of Reykjavik. In the western United States, about 180 homes and farms are heated using geothermal hot water. According to experts, between 1993 and 2000, global electricity generation from geothermal energy more than doubled. There are so many reserves of geothermal heat in the United States that it could, theoretically, provide 30 times more energy than the state currently consumes.
In the future, it is possible to use the heat of magma in those areas where it is located close to the Earth's surface, as well as the dry heat of heated crystalline rocks. In the latter case, wells are drilled over several kilometers, cold water is pumped down, and hot water is received back.

GEOTHERMAL ENERGY

Skotarev Ivan Nikolaevich

2nd year student, department physicists SSAU, Stavropol

Khashchenko Andrey Alexandrovich

scientific supervisor, can. physics and mathematics sciences, Associate Professor, St. State Agrarian University, Stavropol

Nowadays humanity doesn’t think much about what it will leave to future generations. People mindlessly pump and dig up minerals. Every year the population of the planet is growing, and therefore the need for even more energy resources such as gas, oil and coal is increasing. This cannot continue for long. Therefore, now, in addition to the development of the nuclear industry, the use of alternative energy sources is becoming relevant. One of the promising areas in this area is geothermal energy.

Most of the surface of our planet has significant reserves of geothermal energy due to significant geological activity: active volcanic activity in the initial periods of the development of our planet and also to this day, radioactive decay, tectonic shifts and the presence of areas of magma in the earth's crust. In some places on our planet, especially a lot of geothermal energy accumulates. These are, for example, various valleys of geysers, volcanoes, underground accumulations of magma, which in turn heat the upper rocks.

In simple terms, geothermal energy is the energy of the Earth's interior. For example, volcanic eruptions clearly indicate the enormous temperature inside the planet. This temperature gradually decreases from the hot inner core to the Earth's surface ( picture 1).

Figure 1. Temperature in different layers of the earth

Geothermal energy has always attracted people due to its beneficial applications. After all, man, in the process of his development, came up with many useful technologies and looked for benefit and profit in everything. This is what happened with coal, oil, gas, peat, etc.

For example, in some geographic areas, the use of geothermal sources can significantly increase energy production, since geothermal power plants (GEP) are one of the cheapest alternative energy sources because the upper three-kilometer layer of the Earth contains over 1020 J of heat suitable for generating electricity. Nature itself gives a person a unique source of energy; it is only necessary to use it.

There are currently 5 types of geothermal energy sources:

1. Geothermal dry steam deposits.

2. Sources of wet steam. (a mixture of hot water and steam).

3. Geothermal water deposits (contain hot water or steam and water).

4. Dry hot rocks heated by magma.

5. Magma (molten rocks heated to 1300 °C).

Magma transfers its heat to rocks, and their temperature rises with increasing depth. According to available data, the temperature of rocks increases on average by 1 °C for every 33 m of depth (geothermal step). There is a wide variety of temperature conditions for geothermal energy sources around the world, which will determine the technical means for its use.

Geothermal energy can be used in two main ways - to generate electricity and to heat various objects. Geothermal heat can be converted into electricity if the coolant temperature reaches more than 150 °C. It is precisely the use of the internal regions of the Earth for heating that is the most profitable and effective and also very affordable. Direct geothermal heat, depending on the temperature, can be used for heating buildings, greenhouses, swimming pools, drying agricultural and fish products, evaporating solutions, growing fish, mushrooms, etc.

All geothermal installations existing today are divided into three types:

1. stations whose operation is based on dry steam deposits - this is a direct scheme.

Dry steam power plants appeared earlier than anyone else. In order to obtain the required energy, steam is passed through a turbine or generator ( figure 2).

Figure 2. Geothermal power plant of direct circuit

2. stations with a separator using hot water deposits under pressure. Sometimes a pump is used for this, which provides the required volume of incoming energy - an indirect scheme.

This is the most common type of geothermal plant in the world. Here water is pumped under high pressure into generator sets. The hydrothermal solution is pumped into the evaporator to reduce the pressure, resulting in the evaporation of part of the solution. Next, steam is formed, which makes the turbine work. The remaining liquid may also be beneficial. Usually it is passed through another evaporator to obtain additional power ( figure 3).

Figure 3. Indirect geothermal power plant

They are characterized by the absence of interaction between the generator or turbine and steam or water. The principle of their operation is based on the judicious use of underground water at moderate temperatures.

Typically the temperature should be below two hundred degrees. The binary cycle itself consists of using two types of water - hot and moderate. Both streams are passed through a heat exchanger. The hotter liquid evaporates the colder one, and the vapors formed as a result of this process drive the turbines.

Figure 4. Schematic of a geothermal power plant with a binary cycle.

As for our country, geothermal energy ranks first in terms of potential possibilities for its use due to the unique landscape and natural conditions. Found reserves of geothermal waters with temperatures from 40 to 200 ° C and a depth of up to 3500 m on its territory can provide approximately 14 million m3 of hot water per day. Large reserves of underground thermal waters are found in Dagestan, North Ossetia, Checheno-Ingushetia, Kabardino-Balkaria, Transcaucasia, Stavropol and Krasnodar territories, Kazakhstan, Kamchatka and a number of other regions of Russia. For example, in Dagestan, thermal waters have been used for heat supply for a long time.

The first geothermal power plant was built in 1966 at the Pauzhetsky field on the Kamchatka Peninsula to supply electricity to surrounding villages and fish processing plants, thereby promoting local development. The local geothermal system can provide energy for power plants with a capacity of up to 250-350 MW. But this potential is only used by a quarter.

The territory of the Kuril Islands has a unique and at the same time complex landscape. Power supply to the cities located there comes with great difficulties: the need to deliver means of subsistence to the islands by sea or air, which is quite expensive and takes a lot of time. The islands' geothermal resources currently make it possible to produce 230 MW of electricity, which can meet all the region's needs for energy, heat, and hot water supply.

On the island of Iturup, resources of a two-phase geothermal coolant have been found, the power of which is sufficient to meet the energy needs of the entire island. On the southern island of Kunashir there is a 2.6 MW GeoPP, which is used to generate electricity and heat supply to the city of Yuzhno-Kurilsk. It is planned to build several more GeoPPs with a total capacity of 12-17 MW.

The most promising regions for the use of geothermal sources in Russia are the south of Russia and the Far East. The Caucasus, Stavropol region, and Krasnodar region have enormous potential for geothermal energy.

The use of geothermal waters in the central part of Russia requires high costs due to the deep occurrence of thermal waters.

In the Kaliningrad region, there are plans to implement a pilot project for geothermal heat and electricity supply to the city of Svetly based on a binary GeoPP with a capacity of 4 MW.

Geothermal energy in Russia is focused both on the construction of large facilities and on the use of geothermal energy for individual homes, schools, hospitals, private shops and other facilities using geothermal circulation systems.

In the Stavropol Territory, at the Kayasulinskoye field, the construction of an expensive experimental Stavropol Geothermal Power Plant with a capacity of 3 MW was started and suspended.

In 1999, the Verkhne-Mutnovskaya GeoPP was put into operation ( Figure 5).

Figure 5. Verkhne-Mutnovskaya GeoPP

It has a capacity of 12 MW (3x4 MW) and is a pilot stage of the Mutnovskaya GeoPP with a design capacity of 200 MW, created to supply power to the industrial region of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsk.

But despite the great advantages in this direction, there are also disadvantages:

1. The main one is the need to pump waste water back into the underground aquifer. Thermal waters contain large amounts of salts of various toxic metals (boron, lead, zinc, cadmium, arsenic) and chemical compounds (ammonia, phenols), which makes it impossible to discharge these waters into natural water systems located on the surface.

2. Sometimes an operating geothermal power plant may stop working as a result of natural changes in the earth's crust.

3. Finding a suitable location for the construction of a geothermal power plant and obtaining permission from local authorities and consent from residents for its construction can be problematic.

4. The construction of a GeoPP may negatively affect land stability in the surrounding region.

Most of these shortcomings are minor and completely solvable.

In today's world, people do not think about the consequences of their decisions. After all, what will they do if they run out of oil, gas and coal? People are used to living in comfort. They won’t be able to heat their houses with wood for a long time, because a large population will need a huge amount of wood, which will naturally lead to large-scale deforestation and leave the world without oxygen. Therefore, in order to prevent this from happening, it is necessary to use the resources available to us sparingly, but with maximum efficiency. Just one way to solve this problem is the development of geothermal energy. Of course, it has its pros and cons, but its development will greatly facilitate the continued existence of humanity and will play a big role in its further development.

Now this direction is not very popular, because the oil and gas industry dominates the world and large companies are in no hurry to invest in the development of a much-needed industry. Therefore, for the further progress of geothermal energy, investments and government support are necessary, without which it is simply impossible to implement anything on a national scale. The introduction of geothermal energy into the country's energy balance will allow:

1. increase energy security, on the other hand, reduce the harmful impact on the environment compared to traditional sources.

2. develop the economy, because the released funds can be invested in other industries, social development of the state, etc.

In the last decade, the use of non-traditional renewable energy sources has experienced a real boom in the world. The scale of use of these sources has increased several times. It is capable of radically and on the most economic basis solving the problem of energy supply to these areas, which use expensive imported fuel and are on the verge of an energy crisis, improve the social situation of the population of these areas, etc. This is exactly what we see in Western European countries (Germany, France, Great Britain), Northern Europe (Norway, Sweden, Finland, Iceland, Denmark). This is explained by the fact that they have high economic development and are very dependent on fossil resources, and therefore the heads of these states, together with business, are trying to minimize this dependence. In particular, the development of geothermal energy in the Northern European countries is favored by the presence of a large number of geysers and volcanoes. It’s not for nothing that Iceland is called the country of volcanoes and geysers.

Now humanity is beginning to understand the importance of this industry and is trying to develop it as much as possible. The use of a wide range of diverse technologies makes it possible to reduce energy consumption by 40-60% and at the same time ensure real economic development. And the remaining needs for electricity and heat can be met through more efficient production, through recovery, through combining the production of thermal and electrical energy, as well as through the use of renewable resources, which makes it possible to abandon certain types of power plants and reduce carbon dioxide emissions gas by about 80%.

Bibliography:

1.Baeva A.G., Moskvicheva V.N. Geothermal energy: problems, resources, use: ed. M.: SO AN USSR, Institute of Thermophysics, 1979. - 350 p.

2.Berman E., Mavritsky B.F. Geothermal energy: ed. M.: Mir, 1978 - 416 pp.

3.Geothermal energy. [Electronic resource] - Access mode - URL: http://ustoj.com/Energy_5.htm(access date 08/29/2013).

4. Geothermal energy in Russia. [Electronic resource] - Access mode - URL: http://www.gisee.ru/articles/geothermic-energy/24511/(date of access: 09/07/2013).

5. Dvorov I.M. Deep heat of the Earth: ed. M.: Nauka, 1972. - 208 p.

6.Energy. Material from Wikipedia - the free encyclopedia. [Electronic resource] - Access mode - URL: http://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geothermal_energy(date of access: 09/07/2013).

The rapid growth of energy consumption and the limited availability of non-renewable natural resources are forcing us to think about the use of alternative energy sources. In this regard, the use of geothermal resources deserves special attention.

Geothermal power plants (GeoPP) are structures for generating electrical energy from the natural heat of the Earth.

Geothermal energy has a history of more than a century. In July 1904, the first experiment was carried out in the Italian town of Larderello, which made it possible to obtain electricity from geothermal steam. A few years later, the first geothermal power plant was launched here, which is still operating.

Promising territories

For the construction of geothermal power plants, areas with geological activity, where natural heat is located at a relatively shallow depth, are considered ideal.

These include areas abounding in geysers, open thermal springs with water heated by volcanoes. This is where geothermal energy is developing most actively.

However, even in seismically inactive areas there are layers of the earth’s crust whose temperature is more than 100 °C.

For every 36 meters of depth, the temperature increases by 1 °C. In this case, a well is drilled and water is pumped into it.

The output is boiling water and steam, which can be used both for heating rooms and for producing electrical energy.

There are many territories where it is possible to obtain energy in this way, so geothermal power plants operate everywhere.

Sources of geothermal energy

Natural heat can be produced from the following sources.

Operating principles of geothermal power plants

Today, three methods are used to produce electricity using geothermal means, depending on the state of the medium (water or steam) and the temperature of the rock.

1. Direct (using dry steam). The steam directly impacts the turbine that powers the generator.
2. Indirect (use of water vapor). This uses a hydrothermal solution that is pumped into an evaporator. The evaporation resulting from a decrease in pressure drives the turbine.
3. Mixed, or binary. In this case, hydrothermal water is used and an auxiliary fluid with a low boiling point, such as freon, which boils when exposed to hot water. The resulting steam from freon spins the turbine, then condenses and returns to the heat exchanger for heating. A closed system (circuit) is formed, practically eliminating harmful emissions into the atmosphere.

The first geothermal power plants ran on dry steam.

The indirect method is considered the most common today. Here, groundwater with a temperature of about 182 °C is used, which is pumped into generators located on the surface.

Advantages of GeoPP

• Reserves of geothermal resources are considered renewable, practically inexhaustible, but under one condition: A large amount of water cannot be pumped into an injection well in a short period of time.
• The station does not require external fuel to operate.
• The installation can operate autonomously, using its own generated electricity. An external power source is only required for the first start of the pump.
• The station does not require additional investments, with the exception of costs for maintenance and repair work.
• Geothermal power plants do not require sanitary areas.
• If the station is located on a sea or ocean shore, it can be used for natural desalination of water. This process can occur directly in the station’s operating mode - when heating water and cooling water evaporation.

Disadvantages of geothermal installations

• The initial investment in the development, design and construction of geothermal plants is large.
• Problems often arise in choosing a suitable location for a power plant and obtaining permission from the authorities and local residents.
• Through a working well, emissions of flammable and toxic gases and minerals contained in the earth's crust are possible. Technologies in some modern plants allow these emissions to be collected and processed into fuel.
• It happens that an operating power plant stops. This can happen due to natural processes in the rock or due to excessive injection of water into the well.

Largest producers of geothermal energy

The largest GeoPPs have been built in the USA and the Philippines. They represent entire geothermal complexes, consisting of dozens of individual geothermal stations.

The Geysers complex, located in California, is considered the most powerful. It consists of 22 two stations with a total capacity of 725 MW, sufficient to power a multimillion-dollar city.

• The Philippine Makiling-Banahau Power Plant has a capacity of about 500 MW.
• Another Philippine power plant named Tiwi has a capacity of 330 MW.
• Imperial Valley in the USA is a complex of ten geothermal power plants with a total capacity of 327 MW.
• Chronology of the development of domestic geothermal energy

Russian geothermal energy began its development in 1954, when it was adopted decision to create a laboratory for the study of natural thermal resources in Kamchatka.

1. 1966 – Pauzhetskaya geothermal power plant with a traditional cycle (dry steam) and a capacity of 5 MW was launched. After 15 years, its capacity was increased to 11 MW.
2. In 1967, the Paratunka station with a binary cycle began to operate. By the way, a patent for a unique binary cycle technology, developed and patented by Soviet scientists S. Kutateladze and L. Rosenfeld, was purchased by many countries.

High levels of hydrocarbon production in the 1970s and the critical economic situation in the 90s stopped the development of geothermal energy in Russia. However, now interest in it has reappeared for a number of reasons:

• Oil and gas prices on the domestic market are becoming close to world prices.
• Fuel reserves are rapidly depleting.
• Newly discovered hydrocarbon deposits on the Far Eastern shelf and Arctic coast are currently unprofitable.

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Prospects for the development of geothermal resources in Russia

The most promising areas of the Russian Federation in terms of the use of thermal energy to generate electricity are Kuril Islands and Kamchatka.

Kamchatka has such potential geothermal resources with volcanic reserves of hydrothermal steam and energetic thermal waters that can meet the region's needs for 100 years. The Mutnovskoye field is considered promising, the known reserves of which can provide up to 300 MW of electricity. The history of the development of this area began with geoexploration, resource assessment, design and construction of the first Kamchatka GeoPPs (Pauzhetskaya and Paratunka), as well as the Verkhne-Mutnovskaya geothermal station with a capacity of 12 MW and Mutnovskaya, with a capacity of 50 MW.

There are two power plants operating on the Kuril Islands that use geothermal energy - on Kunashir Island (2.6 MW) and on Iturup Island (6 MW).

In comparison with the energy resources of individual Philippine and American GeoPPs, domestic alternative energy production facilities are losing significantly: their total capacity does not exceed 90 MW. But Kamchatka power plants, for example, provide 25% of the region’s electricity needs, which in the event of unexpected interruptions in fuel supplies will not allow residents of the peninsula to be left without electricity.

Russia has every opportunity to develop geothermal resources – both petrothermal and hydrogeothermal. However, they are used extremely little, and there are more than enough promising areas. In addition to the Kuril Islands and Kamchatka, practical application is possible in the North Caucasus, Western Siberia, Primorye, Baikal region, and the Okhotsk-Chukotka volcanic belt.

Man has learned to use the energy of underground pools and hot water in the bowels of the earth, which manifests itself in the form of sulfurous mud lakes, geysers and fumaroles in areas of seismic and volcanic activity.

The main source of geothermal energy is radioactive decay - residual heat from the formation of the planet. Geothermal energy resources are divided into dry hot steam, hot water and wet hot steam.

1. Surface geothermal energy is obtained at depths of up to 400 m. Due to the fact that the temperature of the earth's crust is more stable than the air temperature, it is the optimal source of cooling and heating for buildings. At a depth of approximately 15 m, depending on geological conditions, the temperature of the upper layers of the earth's crust is subject to seasonal fluctuations and the influence of solar radiation. To harness surface geothermal energy, geothermal probes, geothermal collectors, energy piles and other ground-contact concrete blocks are used. Heat extracted from shallow depths is supplemented by heat pumps to supply homes with heat or hot water.
2. Sources of wet steam, hot and thermal water at the surface of the earth, currently used to generate electrical energy, their use raises the problem of corrosion of the metal of the equipment and removal of condensate due to its high degree of salinity.
3. Heat concentrated in deep heated cavities with little or no water is called energy based on dry heated rock. To place the reservoir, crystalline or dense sedimentary rocks are used at depths of 3 to 6 km with high temperatures.
4. Magma, which is molten rocks heated to 1300 o C and heat accumulated under volcanoes.

Just 1% of the energy of the earth's crust, located at a depth of 10 km, can provide energy 500 times greater than all the world's oil and gas reserves.

Due to economic reasons and insufficient experience in the development of geothermal resources, as well as depending on the geological parameters of the location of the resources: depth, parameters and composition of the working fluid, currently these resources are used quite little.

In the future, the development of the use of magmatic heat, the use of heated crystalline rocks, involves drilling wells to a depth of several kilometers with the subsequent injection of cold water to heat it.

Heat in the form of hot springs and geysers can be used to produce electricity through various schemes in geothermal power plants (GEP).

Electricity is generated in three ways:

1. Using dry steam to rotate the turbine;
2. The use of superheated water, which, under pressure, comes to the surface, followed by conversion into steam, which is separated into water aimed at rotating the turbine, is the most easily feasible scheme.
3. The use of a binary cycle, rotation of a turbine with steam obtained by heating the working fluid (isobutane or freon).

Due to the aggressiveness of water, it cannot be used directly to rotate the turbine; therefore, steam obtained through steam generation from a water heat exchanger is used. Natural steam is used to evaporate water, it is acid-free and can be safely used in a turbine. Natural underground steam is condensed in an evaporator, and boric acid, or lithium, is extracted from the condensate.

The main advantage of geothermal energy is its inexhaustibility and independence from the environment.

It is possible to simultaneously use this type of energy both for electricity generation and for heat supply and hot water supply.

The use of geothermal energy has serious environmental consequences: thermal, gas, and salt pollution of the environment. The presence of salts of toxic metals and various chemical compounds in thermal water makes it impossible to discharge water into natural sources. When using thermal waters, it becomes necessary to reinject waste water into the underground aquifer.