Geothermal Energy |
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Geothermal energy can replace conventional fuel plants and in some areas zero emissions can be achieved by combining geothermal energy with other forms of RES. With an organic “Rankine” cycle (a model used to predict the performance of steam turbine systems) primarily or with “Kalina” cycle (thermodynamic process for converting thermal energy into usable mechanical power), power can be generated from a geothermal field of 90 degrees of enthalpy.
Greece has many geothermal fields as such. High enthalpy is used for power generation and, as the enthalpy gets lower, geothermal energy can be used for district heating, desalination, greenhouse heating, fish farming and finally, a whole unit of geothermal heat pumps at the end of the network can be used for house heating and cooling. The cost of use in relation to conventional fuels i.e. natural gas, oil, etc. is 40% to 50% lower per production unit, which means 60% to 70% cheaper. Uses are aimed at urban, rural and industrial applications. Greece is favored both geologically and tectonically, in almost every region of the country there is available geothermal energy and depending on whether the origin is tectonic or volcanic, it has a different temperature, up to 350 degrees of enthalpy. At the moment 287 MW are generated but 1000 MW generation is a realistic target.
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