Perspectives of offshore geothermal energy in Italy

Abstract

Summary. -Italy is the first European and world's fifth largest producer of geothermal energy for power generation which actually accounts for less than 2% of the total electricity production of the country. In this paper after a brief introduction to the basic elements of high-enthalpy geothermal systems, we discuss the potentialities represented by the submarine volcanoes of the South Tyrrhenian Sea. In particular we focus on Marsili Seamount which, according to the literature data, can be considered as a possible first offshore geothermal field; then we give a summary of the related exploitation pilot project that may lead to the realization of a 200 MWe prototype power plant. Finally we discuss some economic aspects and the development perspectives of the offshore geothermal resource taking into account the Italian energy framework and Europe 2020 renewable energy target.

Renewable energy-driven desalination technologies: A comprehensive review on challenges and potential applications of integrated systems

“…No land space is needed, a fact that is especially important when considering small islands. The reservoir needs no cap rock, and recharge of the reservoir is guaranteed through seawater [97]. The visual environmental impact is less; however discharging geothermal fluids may negatively influence the marine environment and need proper management [98].…”

“…This is despite the fact that these energy resources are much larger than offshore geothermal resources. However, these resources have been recently considered for exploitation using mature technologies from onshore geothermal and offshore hydrocarbon exploitation [99,100], which makes this an economical affordable option to provide energy for various industrial, agricultural and domestic direct heat or electricity purposes [97][98][99]. The use of submarine geothermal resources for desalination benefits from the fact that seawater is on-site and that the residuals (brines or salts) can be disposed easily back into the ocean without constituting any environmental damage.…”

“…at 350° average velocity of 0.15 m/s at 21°N on the East Pacific Rise [102], at 400°C [103][104][105]; at 464°C at the Mid-Atlantic Ridge [106]), and (ii) coastal resources found at depths between 1 and 50 m. Both types of resources have been described in the scientific literature from all over the world; however this research did not target their use as energy resources (e.g., [107][108][109][110][111][112][113][114][115][116][117][118][119][120][121][122] [97,124]. Some rough estimates indicate that the full exploitation of the thermal potential of the entire volcanic district of the South Tyrrhenian Sea, could satisfy 7-10% of the actual Italian electricity demand [97,124]. Using these resources for thermal water desalination should be considered for water scarce Italy with its ever increasing demand.…”

The Marsili Volcanic Seamount (Southern Tyrrhenian Sea): A Potential Offshore Geothermal Resource

“…The available scientific data set has been considered a good starting point for an Italian company (Eurobuilding S.p.A., Servigliano, Italy) to propose a cutting-edge project to drill the first offshore geothermal well on the Marsili seamount, [62,63]. The estimates they performed bring to an effective electrical power generation of 200 MW.…”

Synergistic Hybrid Marine Renewable Energy Harvest System

“…The Icelandic energy company North Tech Energy (NTE) has been awarded a license to investigate high-temperature areas on the Icelandic continental shelf [23] to develop a power plant installed on a jack-up platform [24]. Other countries where offshore geothermal developments could be potentially interesting are Italy [25,26], Indonesia [19], Portugal, the Philippines, Japan, New Zealand, the United States, and countries in Central America and the Caribbean [27], considering the available offshore geothermal resources.…”