Assessment of geothermal resources for power generation

Geothermal energy is the heat of the earth included in the rock matrix (90%) and the pore fluid (10%). It is renewable, all time available with a beforehand-predicted power generation potential. After defining the main parameters of a geothermal resource (area, volume, geology, geochemistry, temperatures, fluid properties, etc.) geothermal resources can be estimated by (i) calculating the natural heat flow of the area, (ii) by calculating the stored heat and multiplying it by the recovery factor and the conversion efficiency and expressing the result as MWe of installed power over a 20-25 years period, and (iii) by computer simulation of reservoir parameters under possible exploitation scenarios. (Received March 13, 2008; accepted May 5, 2008)