Direct uses of geothermal energy 1995

The worldwide application of geothermal energy for non-electric use is reviewed. This paper attempts to update the previous survey carried out in 1990 by the same author and presented at the International Symposium in Hawaii. For each of these updates since 1975, the recording of data has been similar but not exactly the same and for this latest update an effort has been made to collate additional information on heat pumps and investments, in geothermal, for the past two decades. A preliminary version of this paper was published in the Proceedings of the World Geothermal Congress held in Florence in May 1995, which was prepared on the basis of draft manuscripts and information provided to the organising committee prior to the meeting. Some of these papers were, however, modified on publication in the proceedings, and it was thought necessary to update this paper, particularly the tables, after the publication of the final manuscripts in the Proceedings of the Congress. What is evident from the papers received is that there is a large potential for the development of low-to-moderate enthalpy direct use across the world, a potential that is not currently being exploited due to financial constraints and the low prices of competing energy. An estimate of the installed thermal power at the end of 1994 (1990 in brackets) from the current returns is 8664 MWt (8064 MWt) utilising 37,050 kg/s (31,800 kg/s) of fluid and the thermal energy used is 112,441 TJ/yr (61,747 TJ/yr