Nowadays, energy policy is paying more and more attention to renewable resources of energy. Renewable resources also include geothermal energy which is being dealt with in this paper.
Geothermal energy is actually heat accumulated within the Earth and is a result of different factors. Earth movements create conditions in the Earth’s structure which enable the exploitation of heat accumulated under the surface. The procedure of considering and preparing a potential geothermal source for exploitation is extremely demanding and complex procedure as it requires the cooperation and coordination of scientists from various fields.
Nowadays, most geothermal power plants exploit high-temperature geothermal sources. However, in Slovenia we only have low-temperature or low enthalpy geothermal resources. Thus, in Slovenia, a binary cycle geothermal plants are the only option. Their main characteristic is that they have two active closed cycles. Soil structure pays a crucial role in the construction of a geothermal power plant as the costs of boring and wells represent 70% of all the costs.
A SIM program simulation of two binary cycle geothermal power plants shows that given the recent research, data collected and technology available such an investment in Slovenia is not a viable one.
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