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Geothermal energy

Module 4Lection 4

Maksym Nemchynov

Maksym Nemchynov

vice President of Energy Club, Deputy Minister of Energy of Ukraine (2020-2021)

Advisor to the Minister of Energy of Ukraine (2021-2023), Deputy Minister of Energy of Ukraine (2020-2021) – responsible for policy formation in the oil and gas complex and strategic planning, State Secretary of the Ministry of Energy and Coal Industry of Ukraine, member of the Supervisory Board of SE NPC “Ukrenergo”, Chairman of the Committee on Corporate Governance and Regulation (2018-2019).

In 2014-2016, he headed the department on coal enrichment and quality, functioning of peat mining enterprises and use of coal mine methane at the Ministry of Energy and Coal Industry of Ukraine. He actively participated in the development of the draft law “On the principles of the functioning of the coal market” and the State Standard of Ukraine.

As the Head of the Department for Reforming the Coal Industry of the Ministry of Energy and Coal Industry of Ukraine (2011-2014), he actively participated in the development of draft laws “On the Principles of the Functioning of the Electricity Market”, “On State Support for the Coal Industry”, the Concept on the Transition to the Exchange Form of Coal Sales and other regulatory legal acts.

Has three higher educations: an electrical engineer (Donbas Mining and Metallurgical Institute, 2001), a lawyer (Yaroslav the Wise National Law Academy of Ukraine, 2007), a master’s degree in management and administration (Vadym Hetman Kyiv National Economic University, 2021). Has certificates of completion of training in negotiations, strategic communications in public administration, evaluation and monitoring of policy implementation.

Experience in the energy industry – over 20 years. Worked in companies of various forms of ownership. Has positive experience in enterprise management (including in crisis situations), production management.

Lecture content

  1. Geothermal energy: definition and potential
  2. Practical application of geothermal energy
  3. Economic efficiency of geothermal sources
  4. Geothermal potential of Ukraine
  5. Operating facilities and prospects of geothermal energy in Ukraine
  6. Geothermal energy: prospects for Ukraine
  7. Cogeneration technologies based on geothermal resources
  8. Prospects of cogeneration plants in Ukraine
  9. Active links (NPA, standards, resources)
  10. Glossary
  11. Questions for self-test

 

1. Geothermal energy: definition and potential

Geothermal energy is energy obtained from heat stored in the Earth’s interior. It can be used for:

  • heating and hot water supply;
  • electricity generation;
  • industrial and domestic needs.

This resource belongs to renewable energy sources (RES), because the heat of the interior is constantly replenished due to natural geological processes.

Despite the fact that the nature of the planet’s internal state has not been studied enough (in particular, how exactly the internal temperature changes – it can increase or decrease), it is already clear that the temperature potential of the Earth is extremely large. It exceeds the potential of any fossil fuel (coal, oil, gas) by tens of times.

 

2. Practical applications of geothermal energy

Heating and hot water

Geothermal energy is primarily used for heating buildings and heating water in domestic and industrial applications. The technology is actively spreading in European and Asian countries, demonstrating increasing popularity every year.

Heat pumps allow you to effectively extract heat from coolants rising to the surface:

  • This can be a natural coolant (hot water from deep wells).
  • Or an artificially heated coolant – water or other liquid that is pumped into a well, heated and returned to the surface.

Principle of operation: with the help of powerful compressors, the heat is raised to the boiling point of water, after which the cooled coolant is pumped back into the well.

Wells are:

  • operational – from which the coolant is extracted;
  • injection – where the cooled liquid is returned.

 

Electricity generation

On an industrial scale, steam from the subsoil with a temperature of over 100 °C is used. The steam drives turbines, generating electricity. Such installations are successfully operating in the USA, Indonesia, Iceland and other countries where hot springs are located close to the surface.

 

Ukrainian experience

The Institute of Renewable Energy of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine conducted research and had operational installations in Crimea. Gas-saturated water was used, rising from the depths:

  • The heat was used for heating and preheating water;
  • Methane gas was separated through separators and used as fuel for electricity production.

Gas piston equipment was used for generation, which was characterized by a high efficiency (efficiency) and low operating costs. The cost price of geothermal energy (thermal and electrical) turned out to be significantly lower than that of traditional sources.

 

3. Economic efficiency of geothermal sources

Production stability

Geothermal sources do not depend on the time of day or season. The highest efficiency is observed in the winter period, when the efficiency of the installations increases.

Life span

Gas-saturated water can be effectively used for electricity generation for approximately 10 years, after which the methane concentration in the water decreases significantly. For thermal energy production, wells can operate for up to 50 years, with almost no loss of efficiency (except for seasonal fluctuations).

Economic feasibility

The main capital expenditure (CAPEX) is for drilling the wells. Due to the long-term use of resources, these costs have a low payback. This makes geothermal projects profitable and competitive compared to other types of generation.

 

4. Geothermal potential of Ukraine

Prospective regions

  • Western Ukraine (Transcarpathia, Ivano-Frankivsk, Lviv regions)
  • Chernihiv region
  • Partly eastern regions
  • Occupied territories with high potential: Crimea and Donbas

Research data (2003)

  • SeveralNumber of fields: 77 explored
  • Technically available potential:
    • Thermal – 20.24 million MWh/year
    • Electric – 4.5 million MWh/year
  • Planned capacities:
    • Thermal – 2690 MW
    • Electric – 900 MW
  • Annual savings of organic fuel – about 10 million tons of equivalent fuel

Geothermal resources could reduce Ukraine’s dependence on imported gas. The technical potential of thermal energy is 5 times higher than that of electricity, but the efficiency of electricity generation is expected to increase with the development of technology. In the future, large cities may receive heating and hot water supply from geothermal sources.

 

5. Operating geothermal energy facilities in Ukraine

In Ukraine, there are already real examples of geothermal energy use:

  • Geothermal thermal power plants in Crimea (currently temporarily occupied).
  • Two plants in the Transcarpathian region, which demonstrate the practical operation of the technology.

These facilities are extremely important because they:

  • confirm the technical feasibility of using geothermal energy in Ukrainian conditions;
  • allow for obtaining real economic indicators of operation;
  • provide the basis for further scaling up technologies in other regions.

Even with a relatively small number of operating facilities, we can conclude: geothermal energy in Ukraine is not only a theoretical potential, but also a really working one technology that has the potential for expansion.

 

6. Geothermal energy: prospects for Ukraine

Geothermal energy is considered one of the most promising renewable energy sources (RES) because:

  • it is independent of weather conditions, time of day and season;
  • it has a high utilization factor due to the stability of the natural heat source;
  • it only requires correct system design and reliable equipment for effective operation.

In 2025, Ukraine is actively considering the expanded use of heat pumps using geothermal energy. This allows to provide:

  • heating and cooling of buildings;
  • hot water supply;
  • increasing energy efficiency and reducing costs for traditional energy carriers.

Geothermal heat pumps are becoming one of the most promising areas of development of RES in Ukraine, especially in the context of energy decentralization and the need for crisis-resistant energy sources.

 

7. Cogeneration technologies based on geothermal resources

Ukraine has industrial reserves of gas-containing waters with methane, which can become the basis for the implementation of cogeneration technologies – simultaneous production of electricity and heat.

Studies by the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine have shown:

  • the concentration of gas in water begins to decrease significantly after 10 years of operation;
  • after 30 years it decreases by 85%;
  • the water temperature remains stable longer and begins to decrease only after 50 years of operation.

This means that:

  • electricity generation equipment has a shorter period of effective operation (3–4 times shorter) than thermal equipment;
  • heat generation from geothermal sources is more stable and economically feasible in the long term.

Advantages of cogeneration:

  • increased energy efficiency of resource use;
  • reduced costs for fuel through the use of local resources;
  • simultaneous provision of heat and electricity to cities and enterprises;
  • reduction of dependence on energy imports.

Thus, the use of cogeneration technologies in the field of geothermal energy can become one of the most effective directions for the development of renewable energy in Ukraine.

 

8. Prospects for cogeneration plants in Ukraine

For the conditions of Ukraine, taking into account the available characteristics of geothermal fluids, the most promising are cogeneration plants with piston engines operating on aerated thermal waters.

Results of research and design developments:

  • the utilization rate of the calorific value of gas can reach 75–80%;
  • the utilization rate of thermal water heat is 45–50%;
  • in terms of economic indicators, such installations are competitive compared to equipment using organic fuel.

Advantages of geothermal cogeneration technologies:

  • technological – stability of work regardless of the season and time of day;
  • ecological – reduction of CO₂ emissions and other pollutants;
  • socio-economic – energy independence of regions, creation of new jobs, reduction of dependence on gas and oil imports.

In addition, to raise geothermal energy to the surface, not only specialized wells can be used, but also used and operating mines can be used, which makes this direction even more accessible and promising.

 

Active links

Glossary of key terms

Geothermal energy is heat extracted from the Earth’s interior for heating, electricity generation, and other needs.

Heat pump is a device that transfers heat from a low-temperature source (earth, water) to a higher-temperature heating system.

Production well is a well from which hot water or steam is extracted.

Injection well is a well into which the cooled coolant is returned.

Gas-saturated water is geothermal water that contains dissolved gas (methane).

Efficiency (efficiency) is an indicator of the efficiency of converting energy into useful work.

CAPEX (Capital Expenditures) is a company’s expenses for the acquisition, modernization or creation of long-term assets, such as buildings, equipment, technology, real estate and intangible assets.

Cogeneration is the simultaneous production of thermal and electrical energy from a single source.

Cogeneration unit is equipment that operates on the principle of cogeneration (for example, gas piston or gas turbine engines).

Thermal waters are groundwater with elevated temperatures suitable for energy use.

Technical potential is the maximum possible amount of energy that can actually be obtained from a certain resource, taking into account technological limitations.

Self-test questions

What is geothermal energy and why is it considered a renewable energy source?
What are the main areas of use of geothermal energy? a) Heating and hot water supply b) Electricity generation c) Cogeneration (simultaneous production of heat and electricity) d) All of the above
What is the difference between production and injection wells?
What is gas-saturated water and what two types of energy can be obtained from it?
What is the average term of effective use of wells for: a) heat production; b) methane production?
Which regions of Ukraine are the most promising for industrial use of geothermal resources?
What is cogeneration and what are the advantages of using cogeneration technologies on geothermal resources?
What are the main advantages of geothermal energy compared to other renewable energy sources?

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