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Future of Geothermal energy in India

Geothermal energy is the energy generated/stored in the earth’s core crust about 4000 miles below the rock surface and only some miles below in the heat pockets of water on the crust. This is stored in the earth crust in the form volcanoes, fumaroles, geysers, steaming grounds and hot water springs.

India being a subtropical country is a vast resource of geothermal energy. Some of the major geothermal provinces of India, enclose around 400 thermal springs, sedimentary water  basins and Cretaceous-Tertiary volcanic regions.

These geothermal provinces in the country are the Himalayas ,  Sohana ,  Cambay, Son- Narmada-Tapi rift valley ( SONATA), some of the regions in the West coast , Godavari basins, and  Mahanadi. With the recent volcanic eruptions, some of the the Barren island’s in the west  have become one the most important geothermal provinces in the Indian subcontinent.

On the basis of heat harvested or stored called as enthalpy characteristics, the geothermal systems in India, is classified into medium enthalpy (100°C-200°C) and low enthalpy (<100°C) geothermal systems.

Medium enthalpy geothermal energy resources are mostly the Himalayas, Narmada tapi basins, Damodar Mahanadi and Godavari valleys and cambay basin on the west coast.

Low enthalpy geothermal zones include some of the hot water springs on the west coast of the country.

Estimates suggest that energy from one third of these springs is of the order of 40.9x1018 calories. This is equivalent to the energy that can be obtained from 5.7 billion tonnes of coal or 28 million barrels of oil.

Apart from the government organizations in the energy sector, there are some of the private organisations like Tata power  is working in exploitation of geothermal energy.

and seeking to more than double capacity in five years and acquire projects at home and overseas. 

Geothermal energy in India thus looks like a huge investment zone for today assuring big returns in the coming future.