National Mineral Resources University (Mining University), Saint-Petersburg, Russia:

E. I. Boguslavsky, Professor, Doctor of Engineering Sciences, boguslei@yandex.ru

Dynamic extraction and use of geothermal energy is presented as a new alternative scenario of development in the world power engineering. The essential benefits of geothermal energy are: almost inexhaustible resources; feasibility of continuous extraction and use; ubiquity; environmental friendliness; comparatively high economic efficiency. Two basic areas of use of geothermal energy — heat supply (direct use) and electric power generation—are already actualized in more than 80 countries of the world; by estimates of the World Energy Council, the huge resource potential of geothermal energy makes more than 5000 million terajoules a year. In 2015 saving of conventional energy resources has made 350 million barrels of oil (52.5 Mt). Air emission of 46.6 Mt of carbon and 148.2 Mt of carbonic gas has thus been prevented. The countries with the greatest ascertained resources of geothermal energy include China, USA, Sweden, Turkey and Iceland with the share of more than 65% of the entire world’s geothermal energy capacity. Extraction and use of subsurface geothermal energy with heat pump installations is one of the most rapidly advancing lines of renewable energy utilization in the world. In the recent 15 years the annual increment in the heat-power engineering capacities has made 10–12% in 30 countries of the world. A prime advantage of this energy source is its availability in soil, groundwater and rock mass at a depth from 200 to 300 m and a temperature from 5 to 30 °C. The article presents the basic technical – technological parameters of subsurface geothermal energy extraction and use. The technical-and-economic and ecological benefits of generation and utilization of geothermal energy as against hydrocarbon energy are shown. The author assesses the state-of-the-art of the world geothermal power engineering, pointing at the most advanced countries based on the geothermal energy capacities and use, including geothermal energy per capita and unit area of territory. The key prerequisites, impetuses and conditions of further accelerated development in the field of geothermal energy systems are described.

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