Present scenario of Geo Thermal Potential in INDIA as on 2020

The Lack of Proper Coal Allocation, Ineffective Reforms in the Renewable sector mainly solar, hydro and air is taking a huge toll on Indian power need, hence new sources of energy must be explored and is the need of the hour to fuel India’s need of clean energy.

Geothermal energy shows promise for India’s future energy needs if developed properly, as it is an enormous, underused heat and power resource that emits little or no greenhouse gases, and is homegrown hence making us less dependent on foreign oil. Geothermal resources range from shallow ground to hot water and rock several miles below the Earth’s surface. A Mile deep well can be drilled into the underground reservoirs to tap steam and very hot water that can be brought to the surface for use in a variety of applications.

Geothermal energy can be used very effectively in both on- and off-grid developments, and is especially useful in rural electrification schemes. Geothermal power plants operated in at least 24 countries in 2010, and geothermal energy was used directly for heat in at least 78 countries. These countries currently have geothermal power plants with a total capacity of 10.7 GW, but 88% of it is generated in just seven countries: the United States, the Philippines, Indonesia, Mexico, Italy, New Zealand, and Iceland.

India however have a reasonably good potential for geothermal; the potential geothermal provinces can produce 10,600 MW of power, but experts are confident only to the extent of 100 MW. But yet geothermal power projects has not been exploited at all, owing to a variety of reasons, the chief being the availability of plentiful coal at cheap costs. However, with increasing environmental problems with coal based projects, India will need to start depending on clean and eco-friendly energy sources in future; one of which could be geothermal.

It has been estimated from geological, geochemical, shallow geophysical and shallow drilling data that India has about 10,000 MWe of geothermal power potential that can be harnessed for various purposes. More than 300 hot spring locations have been identified by Geological survey of India. The surface temperature of the hot springs ranges from 35 C to as much as 98 C. These hot springs have been grouped together and termed as different “geothermal provinces” based on their occurrence in specific geotectonic regions.

The Main geological provinces of India are Himalayan geothermal province, Naga-Lushai geothermal province, Andaman-Nicobar Islands geothermal province and non-organic regions are – Cambay graben, Son-Narmada-Tapi graben, west coast, Damodar valley, Mahanadi valley, Godavari valley etc.

 Direct usages

Total Thermal Installed Capacity	203.0
Direct use in TJ/Year	1606.3
Direct use in GWh/Year	446.2
Capacity Factor	0.25

Current Projects

Geothermal Field	Estimated (min.) reservoir Temp (Approx.)	Status
Puga Geothermal Field	240oC at 2000 m	From geochemical and deep geophysical studies (MT)
Tattapani Sarguja (Chhattisgarh)	120oC – 150oC at 500 meter and 200 oC at 2000 m	Magnetotelluric survey done by NGRI
Tapoban Chamoli (Uttarakhand)	100oC at 430 m	Magnetotelluric survey done by NGRI
Cambay Garben (Gujarat)	160oC at 1900 m (From oil exploration borehole)	Steam discharge was estimated 3000 C. m/day with high temperature gradient
Badrinath Chamoli (Uttarakhand)	150oC estimated	Magneto-telluric study was done by NGRI Deep drilling required to ascertain geothermal field
Surajkund Hazaribagh (Jharkhand)	110oC	Magneto-telluric study was done by NGRI Heat Rate 128.6 mW/m2

Like other energy sources geothermal energy comes with its own fair share of problems, as it is expensive and because only one in five wells yield a reservoir suitable for development geo-thermal developers must prove that they have reliable resource before they can secure millions of dollar required to develop geothermal resources. But unlike traditional power plants that run on fuel that must be purchased over the life of the plant, geothermal power plants use a renewable resource that is not susceptible to price fluctuations. New geothermal plants currently are generating electricity from 0.05$ to 0.08$ per kilowatt hour (kwh).Once capital costs .Once the capital costs have been recovered price of power can decrease below 0.05$ per kwh. The price of geothermal is within range of other electricity choices available today when the costs of the lifetime of the plant are considered. Most of the costs related to geothermal power plants are related to resource exploration and plant construction. Like oil and gas exploration,

Hence In the case of geothermal energy, several topics are identified as being key to its advancement in the Indian market place. These are related to cost reduction, sustainable use, expansion of use into new geographical regions, and new applications. If we can overcome these challenges then geothermal energy can help reduce some load form the already exhausted thermal power sector, and pave way for the advancements in the path of renewable energy sector.