Feasibility of Geothermal Agricultural Projects at the Begining of XXI Century

Abstract

Intensive process of development of new technologies for direct application of low-temperature geothermal fluids in agriculture during the seventies has been significantly slowed during the eighties and nearly stopped during the nineties. However, that was a period long enough for development of a large number of commercially feasible technologies, offering rather large field of use of low-temperature brines at the end of this century. For the need of planning the possible development of geothermal projects with direct application in the beginning of the next century, a review of the technologies on disposal is made in this paper and a trial for their techno/economic estimation for the use in different market conditions. Some of the conclusions are of wider interest. The most important one is that direct application projects are feasible in most of the regions where geothermal energy is available. Even under very sharp competition of fossil fuels, it looks that geothermal energy is going to consolidate its position as the best alternative resource in many regions of the world.