Turkey is located on the Mediterranean volcanic belt which is one of the most promising geothermal fields. Of an estimated 31 500 thermal Kw (Tmw) of geothermal power, around 28 MW of electricity is produced with 3,600 Tmw. Work continues on the construction of a 45 MW power station.
Due to the new Turkish alternative energy laws, Turkey intends to accept an international enterprise to mentor these resources for geothermal power plants, heating suburban areas or building fully automated green-houses etc. Aside from the reality that Turkey’s geothermal heat potential is around at $50 billion, it is an exciting fact that 125,000 homes are already heated with geothermal energy. This number could soon reach 1 million, and 1.5 million in the longer term.
In order to help Turkey better exploit its geothermal resources, one community in Western Turkey is looking for a mentor that could contribute geothermal technologies that are already on the market or at the very latest stages of development. Such examples include steam-generators (dry steam, flash steam, and binary cycle etc.), heating, automated greenhouses, or any new development suitable for a successful application.
In doing so, it is hoped that new jobs could be created as geothermal systems are developed not only to heat houses but also to generate electricity which could be bought back by the Turkish Government. Energy could also be used to heat greenhouses for growing agricultural produce.
Several companies around the world clearly have Turkey’s geothermal potential in mind. The European Geothermal Energy Council, for example, has announced on its website this month that the subsidiary of a Swiss company with three geothermal exploration licenses in Turkey, is looking for partners to form a joint venture to move forward with geothermal projects in this Mediterranean country.
For additional information:
European Geothermal Energy Council
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