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Geothermal Potential Evaluation for Northern Chile and Suggestions for New Energy Plans

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  • Monia Procesi

    (Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, Via di Vigna Murata 605, 00143 Roma, Italy
    Unione Geotermica Italiana (UGI), Largo Lucio Lazzarino 1, 56126 Pisa, Italy)

Abstract

Chile is a country rich in natural resources, and it is the world’s largest producer and exporter of copper. Mining is the main industry and is an essential part of the Chilean economy, but the country has limited indigenous fossil fuels—over 90% of the country’s fossil fuels must be imported. The electricity market in Chile comprises two main independent systems: the Northern Interconnected Power Grid (SING) and the Central Interconnected Power Grid (SIC). Currently, the primary Chilean energy source is imported fossil fuels, whereas hydropower represents the main indigenous source. Other renewables such as wind, solar, biomass and geothermics are as yet poorly developed. Specifically, geothermal energy has not been exploited in Chile, but among all renewables it has the greatest potential. The transition from thermal power plants to renewable energy power plants is an important target for the Chilean Government in order to reduce dependence on imported fossil fuels. In this framework, the proposed study presents an evaluation of the geothermal potential for northern Chile in terms of power generation. The El Tatio, Surire, Puchuldiza, Orriputunco-Olca and Apacheta geothermal fields are considered for the analysis. The estimated electrical power is approximately 1300 MWe, and the energy supply is 10,200 GWh/year. This means that more than 30% of the SING energy could be provided from geothermal energy, reducing the dependence on imported fossil fuels, saving 8 Mton/year of CO 2 and supplying the mining industry, which is Chile’s primary energy user.

Suggested Citation

  • Monia Procesi, 2014. "Geothermal Potential Evaluation for Northern Chile and Suggestions for New Energy Plans," Energies, MDPI, vol. 7(8), pages 1-16, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jeners:v:7:y:2014:i:8:p:5444-5459:d:39506
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Procesi, M. & Cantucci, B. & Buttinelli, M. & Armezzani, G. & Quattrocchi, F. & Boschi, E., 2013. "Strategic use of the underground in an energy mix plan: Synergies among CO2, CH4 geological storage and geothermal energy. Latium Region case study (Central Italy)," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 110(C), pages 104-131.
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    Cited by:

    1. Yanara Tranamil-Maripe & José M. Cardemil & Rodrigo Escobar & Diego Morata & Cristóbal Sarmiento-Laurel, 2022. "Assessing the Hybridization of an Existing Geothermal Plant by Coupling a CSP System for Increasing Power Generation," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(6), pages 1-28, March.
    2. Paul L. Younger, 2015. "Geothermal Energy: Delivering on the Global Potential," Energies, MDPI, vol. 8(10), pages 1-18, October.

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