South Africa Geothermal Country Update (2010-2015)

Abstract

South Africa is located in a geologically stable zone but well-endowed with thermal springs. More than 80 thermal springs with water temperature ranging from 25¢ªC to 69¢ªC have been reported in South Africa. All the thermal springs are of meteoric origin. About 29 of the thermal springs have been developed for direct-use, mainly as leisure and recreational resorts. Since coal is abundant, and relatively cheap in South Africa, coal burning power stations are the majority suppliers of South African¡¯s electrical energy requirements. In the past, very little attention was devoted to do research on renewable energy. The Water Research Commission in South Africa funded a research project that focused on investigating the potential uses of thermal springs that included the feasibility of electricity generation using binary system. Other organisations such as the National Research Foundation of South Africa have contributed to recent research. This paper gives an overview of energy production in South Africa, government policies on renewable energy, and the latest research on the geology, geophysics, chemical and biological properties of geothermal resources.