Complex Utilization of Geothermal Resources on Russia

Abstract

Geothermal energy use is the way to clean, sustainable energy development for the world. Russia has rich high and low temperature geothermal resources and is making progress using them—mostly with low-temperature geothermal resources and heat pumps. This is optimal for many regions of Russia - in the European part, in the Urals and others. Electricity is generated by some geothermal power plants (GeoPP) only in the Kamchatka Peninsula and Kuril Islands. There are two possible ways of using geothermal resources, depending on the properties of thermal waters: heat/power and mineral extraction. The mineral-extraction direction is basic for geothermal waters, which contain valuable components in industrial quantities. The most significant deposits of thermal waters represent the brines containing from 35 up to 400 and more g/l of salts. They are mineral raw materials for many chemical elements.