LARDERELLO
Geothermal energy comes from the immense heat contained within the Earth's interior. It arises from the decay of natural radioisotopes that has been going on for billions of years. There are two main lines of geothermal energy use: power generation and direct use. World baseload electricity generation is currently about 60 TWh, with a capacity of 10 GWe.
Although it is a renewable energy on par with wind and photovoltaics, the advantage of geothermal energy that of ensuring constant and highly efficient production since the heat is active for all hours of the year (technically we are talking about 8000 hours per year), whereas, wind does not reach 2000 hours per year and photovoltaics 1500 hours per year
According to the International Geothermal Association with 1.0% of installed capacity, geothermal power plants produce 1.8% of global electricity.
Renewable, clean and in fact inexhaustible, energy released in the form of the Earth's heat, on the other hand, still occupies a relatively marginal role in Italy's energy basket, stopping at just a few percentage points. Despite this, Italy ranks among the leading producers of geothermal energy at the European level, as well as in the global context.
Tuscany is the place par excellence that, in addition to guarding "geothermal knowledge," has ideal characteristics for creating sustainable development through the production of electricity from renewable sources and the use of geothermal heat. Tuscan geothermal combines past, present and future in a story of innovation and sustainability that tells how an industrial activity can integrate with the territory, favoring not only its energy and economic development, but also its tourism and culture in a model of "green economy" that combines productive growth and care for the environment.
The Tuscan geothermal district, with an installed capacity of 916 MW, is the oldest and at the same time the most innovative on the planet: of Enel Green Power's 34 geothermal power plants (for a total of 37 generating units), 16 are in the province of Pisa, 9 in the province of Siena and 9 in the provincial territory of Grosseto. The approximately 6 billion KWh produced in Tuscany, in addition to meeting more than 30 percent of the regional electricity needs and accounting for 70 percent of the renewable energy produced in Tuscany, provide heat useful for heating nearly 10 thousand residential users in 9 geothermal municipalities.
All this avoids the consumption of 1.1 MTep and the emission into the atmosphere of 3 Mt of CO2eq, combined with a heat production of about 454 GWh, capable of avoiding the emission of another 121 thousand tons of CO2eq. Larderello is home to Europe's largest geothermal power plant: the Valle Secolo plant, which has an installed capacity of 120 MW.
In addition, geothermal energy represents an important technological district that provides employment to about 700 Enel Green Power employees as well as to an allied industry that involves 80 companies in the geothermal municipalities of the three provinces of Pisa, Siena and Grosseto, about 150 firms throughout the region for a total of 1,500 employees in the geothermal areas and more than 4 thousand in the Tuscan perimeter.
According to an Italian study conducted by the Gestore dei Servizi Energetici (GSE), each megawatt of geothermal power installed and maintained creates 34 jobs, compared with 19 for wind and 12 for photovoltaics.
Italy has a potential of extractable and exploitable geothermal energy estimated to be worth between 500 million and 10 billion tons of oil equivalent. That is, between 5,800 and
116 thousand terawatt-hours of energy, compared to an annual requirement of just over 300 terawatt-hours. In short, it would be enough to extract a small fraction of that energy to meet all domestic demand entirely. Also because these data are limited to the surface belt, within the first 5 kilometers of depth.
Pur essendo una energia rinnovabile al pari dell'eolico e del fotovoltaico, il vantaggio della geotermia quello di assicurare una produzione costante ed altamente efficace in quanto il calore è attivo per tutte le ore dell'anno (tecnicamente si parla di 8000 ore l'anno), mentre, l'eolico non arriva a 2000 ore l'anno ed il fotovoltaico a 1500 ore l’anno
Secondo la International Geothermal Association con l'1,0% della capacità installata, le centrali geotermiche producono l'1,8% dell'elettricità globale.
Rinnovabile, pulita e di fatto inesauribile, l’energia sprigionata sotto forma di calore della Terra occupa invece un ruolo ancora relativamente marginale nel paniere italiano dell’energia, fermandosi a qualche punto percentuale appena. Nonostante questo, l’Italia si colloca tra i principali produttori di energia geotermica a livello europeo, oltre che nel contesto mondiale.
La Toscana è il luogo per eccellenza che, oltre a custodire i “saperi geotermici”, presenta caratteristiche ideali per creare sviluppo sostenibile, attraverso la produzione di elettricità da fonte rinnovabile e l’utilizzo del calore geotermico. La geotermia toscana coniuga passato, presente e futuro in una storia di innovazione e di sostenibilità che racconta come un’attività industriale possa integrarsi con il territorio, favorendone non solo lo sviluppo energetico ed economico, ma anche turistico e culturale in un modello di “green economy” che unisca crescita produttiva e attenzione per l’ambiente.
Il distretto geotermico toscano, con una potenza installata di 916 MW, è il più antico e al contempo il più innovativo del pianeta: delle 34 centrali geotermoelettriche (per un totale di 37 gruppi di produzione) di Enel Green Power, 16 sono in provincia di Pisa, 9 nella provincia senese e 9 nel territorio provinciale di Grosseto. I circa 6 miliardi di KWh prodotti in Toscana, oltre a soddisfare oltre il 30% del fabbisogno elettrico regionale e a rappresentare il 70% dell’energia rinnovabile prodotta in Toscana, forniscono calore utile a riscaldare quasi 10mila utenti residenziali in 9 Comuni geotermici.
Tutto questo consente di evitare il consumo di 1,1 MTep e l’emissione in atmosfera di 3 Mt di CO2eq, cui si abbina una produzione di calore pari a circa 454 GWh, in grado di evitare l’emissione di altre 121mila tonnellate di CO2eq. A Larderello sorge la centrale geotermica più grande d’Europa: si tratta dell’impianto di Valle Secolo che ha una potenza installata di 120 MW.
La geotermia, inoltre, rappresenta un importante distretto tecnologico che dà occupazione a circa 700 dipendenti Enel Green Power nonché ad un indotto che coinvolge 80 imprese nei Comuni geotermici delle tre province di Pisa, Siena e Grosseto, circa 150 ditte in tutta la regione per un totale di 1.500 addetti nelle aree geotermiche e oltre 4mila nel perimetro toscano.
Secondo uno studio italiano condotto dal Gestore dei servizi energetici (GSE), ciascun megawatt di potenza geotermica installato e mantenuto crea 34 posti di lavoro, contro i 19 dell’eolico e i 12 del fotovoltaico.
L’Italia ha un potenziale di energia geotermica estraibile e sfruttabile che si stima valga tra i 500 milioni e i 10 miliardi di tonnellate di petrolio equivalente. Vale a dire, tra i 5.800 e i
Geothermal energy comes from the immense heat contained within the Earth's interior. It arises from the decay of natural radioisotopes that has been going on for billions of years. There are two main lines of geothermal energy use: power generation and direct use. World baseload electricity generation is currently about 60 TWh, with a capacity of 10 GWe.
Although it is a renewable energy on par with wind and photovoltaics, the advantage of geothermal energy that of ensuring constant and highly efficient production since the heat is active for all hours of the year (technically we are talking about 8000 hours per year), whereas, wind does not reach 2000 hours per year and photovoltaics 1500 hours per year
According to the International Geothermal Association with 1.0% of installed capacity, geothermal power plants produce 1.8% of global electricity.
Renewable, clean and in fact inexhaustible, energy released in the form of the Earth's heat, on the other hand, still occupies a relatively marginal role in Italy's energy basket, stopping at just a few percentage points. Despite this, Italy ranks among the leading producers of geothermal energy at the European level, as well as in the global context.
Tuscany is the place par excellence that, in addition to guarding "geothermal knowledge," has ideal characteristics for creating sustainable development through the production of electricity from renewable sources and the use of geothermal heat. Tuscan geothermal combines past, present and future in a story of innovation and sustainability that tells how an industrial activity can integrate with the territory, favoring not only its energy and economic development, but also its tourism and culture in a model of "green economy" that combines productive growth and care for the environment.
The Tuscan geothermal district, with an installed capacity of 916 MW, is the oldest and at the same time the most innovative on the planet: of Enel Green Power's 34 geothermal power plants (for a total of 37 generating units), 16 are in the province of Pisa, 9 in the province of Siena and 9 in the provincial territory of Grosseto. The approximately 6 billion KWh produced in Tuscany, in addition to meeting more than 30 percent of the regional electricity needs and accounting for 70 percent of the renewable energy produced in Tuscany, provide heat useful for heating nearly 10 thousand residential users in 9 geothermal municipalities.
All this avoids the consumption of 1.1 MTep and the emission into the atmosphere of 3 Mt of CO2eq, combined with a heat production of about 454 GWh, capable of avoiding the emission of another 121 thousand tons of CO2eq. Larderello is home to Europe's largest geothermal power plant: the Valle Secolo plant, which has an installed capacity of 120 MW.
In addition, geothermal energy represents an important technological district that provides employment to about 700 Enel Green Power employees as well as to an allied industry that involves 80 companies in the geothermal municipalities of the three provinces of Pisa, Siena and Grosseto, about 150 firms throughout the region for a total of 1,500 employees in the geothermal areas and more than 4 thousand in the Tuscan perimeter.
According to an Italian study conducted by the Gestore dei Servizi Energetici (GSE), each megawatt of geothermal power installed and maintained creates 34 jobs, compared with 19 for wind and 12 for photovoltaics.
Italy has a potential of extractable and exploitable geothermal energy estimated to be worth between 500 million and 10 billion tons of oil equivalent. That is, between 5,800 and
116 thousand terawatt-hours of energy, compared to an annual requirement of just over 300 terawatt-hours. In short, it would be enough to extract a small fraction of that energy to meet all domestic demand entirely. Also because these data are limited to the surface belt, within the first 5 kilometers of depth.
