Contribution of geothermal resources to energy autonomy: Evaluation and management methodology

Abstract

The development of renewable energy is one of the aspirations of the European Union energy policy, being generated by the struggle against climatic changes and by the intention of achieving a high rate of energy autonomy. In this context, geothermal energy is a viable solution which has been little exploited so far. Analysing the EU's dependence on imported energy, the paper provides a short review of the utilization of geothermal energy, of the advantages and of the problems raised by the exploitation of this resource. It also analyzes the availability of this resource in Romania and the contribution it can have towards the energy autonomy of local communities. The paper presents a particular methodology for calculating the energy autonomy. Using this methodology, one can obtain an energetic overview of the community or the area analyzed, can calculate the degree of energy autonomy and, based on the results achieved, a sustainable development strategy can be designed. The low enthalpy case study used emphasizes the way this methodology can be deployed and, moreover, allows an analysis of the contribution of geothermal energy to the degree of autonomy of the Romanian community.