| Abstract |
Taiwan has a total of about 128 hot spring areas. 20% of them are high geothermal gradient and have good potential for electricity production. 50% of them produce 50 – 740C hot spring. If one can use modern technologies to drill deeper, reaching the effectiveness of power generation, and conduct the closed-loop water supply system, these sites may produce economical electricity. In order to achieve the maximum usage of the i-Geothermal Energy System (iGES), we propose to apply 1st stage water of 80 – 1200C for electricity production, 2nd stage water of 60 – 800C for heating or negative cooling work, 3rd stage water of 40 – 600C for original hot spring usage, and 4th stage water of 300C for prawn aquaculture. The remaining water, after treatment, can be recycled and pumped underground to carry new heat back to the surface. The iGES can be pollution–free in both surface and deep. We estimate that, if each i-Geothermal Energy System operator produces 20 MWe of electricity, added to the geothermal energy saving of up to 100 MWe, it will only cost 1/10 of the price to generate 1GWe power, equivalent to that of a nuclear power unit. Taiwan will be a step closer to a nuclear-free state as well as effectively reducing CO2 emission. The locally generated power can also be used for the regional green communities. It produces a warm and effective living environment. Active plate tectonic environments and frequent earthquakes create an enormous amount of heat that is well distributed throughout Taiwan. They are contained in the intrusive volcanoes, metamorphic belts and plate collision zones. Enhanced by a near 3-meter rain fall per year, Taiwan is one of the ideal sites to develop iGES. The heat coming from the Earth\'s geosphere is safe, stable, reliable, and pollution-free. It is not only capable of reducing the 99% of Taiwan\'s import energy need, but also a way to open the closed-loop, hot dry rock energy harvest system, the CEEG system. The future development of CEEG will become part of the major electricity base load. |