Geothermal energy seeks awakening in many parts of Greece
Alexandroupolis_Harbour, Greece (source: flickr/ Dimitris Siskopoulos, creative commons)
Alexander Richter
16 Jan 2019
Looking at cooling and heating, Greek municipalities are increasingly exploring geothermal energy as a solution, including heat pumps and deeper direct use of geothermal resources.
More and more municipalities in Greece are looking at ways to solve the issue of providing cooling with a specific emphasis on geothermal. While heat-exchange systems are mostly referred to, there is also increase in looking at utilising deep geothermal resources.
While until few years ago, the geothermal method was a solution for homes and especially for single-family homes where the use of this study was started from the beginning, technology is developing and so does the training of professionals and, in particular, the mindset of decision-makers .
A representative example is the exploitation of geothermal energy in Karpenisi, which allows the public to walk without problems on a 1,200-meter sidewalk without being disturbed by the snow.
The exploitation of geothermal energy, which has been common practice in many Greek homes, “enables us to offer our citizens a comfortable crossing in the city center,” he said, speaking at the radio station of APE-MPA, the mayor of Karpenissi, Nikos Souliotis, while describing that a technical project has been implemented in the municipality of Sterea Ellada which, with a minimal cost of operation and maintenance, does not allow the formation of ice on pavements in the city center.
Citizens and visitors to the “first winter destination of the country”, as Mr Sulliotis described as his municipality, enjoy a 1,200-meter-long pavement on frost-free conditions thanks to the specific technical work exploiting the temperatures and waters which hides the subsoil. “We did not do anything magical,” said the Mayor of Karpenissi. “We have made use of geothermal energy by doing 18 drilling of 100 meters deep in the center of the city at a point where, above the geothermal installations, we have formed a parking space,” he described. explained that with this technology it is feasible to stay free of ice and snow pavements “as soon as the temperature drops from scratch” when the mechanical infrastructure is activated.
It is worth noting that in many of the geographic districts of the country, the solution of geothermal energy has begun to be applied starting with Northern Greece while the companies are increasing their investments in this sector, as happened for example with PPC, which started investing in the geothermal energy of Santorini .
Recently, the municipality of Alexandroupolis has been granted permission to distribute heat from a low-enthalpy geothermal field, ie low temperature (up to 90 ° C).
More specifically, the permit concerns the distribution of thermal energy from the geothermal field of Antia-Aristinos with a thermal output of 9.8 MWth. The station will be installed in the municipal section of Aristos, Municipality of Alexandroupolis and is intended for the service of consumers within the geographical area of the Municipality of Alexandroupolis, for space heating or hot water.
Last year, PPC Renewables undertook to examine the possibility of developing geothermal energy in Santorini for power generation, heating, cooling, seawater desalination and use for hot springs. The development of a geothermal power plant with the exploitation of the geothermal potential, aims to cover the current and future needs of the island, even in a peak period, ensuring the energy autonomy and stability of the island’s network.
Using geothermal energy will definitively solve the issue of providing high quality drinking water to residents and visitors. In addition, cooling-heating needs for hotels and irrigation needs can be covered by the desalination method, giving opportunities for development and the agricultural sector.
Source: Mileika Nea
