| Title | Geothermal Energy Use, Country Update for Hungary |
|---|---|
| Authors | Nádor, A; Kujbus, A; Tóth, A |
| Year | 2016 |
| Conference | European Geothermal Congress |
| Keywords | Pannonian Basin, direct-heat utilization, district- and town heating, agriculture, non-technical barriers, concession |
| Abstract | Hungary has shown a considerable increase in geothermal district heating during the last few years, which is mainly due to 2 new large projects (Miskolc and Győr). Geothermal district-heating and thermalwater heating cascade systems are available in 21 towns representing about 210 MWth installed capacity and 350 GWhth/y annual production. Individual space heating (mostly associated with spas) is available at 35 locations representing an estimated installed capacity of about 28 MWth and 63 GWhth/y annual production. The agriculture sector is still a key player in direct use, especially in the S-ern part of the Hungary, where heating of greenhouses and plastic tents have long traditions. These account for about 292 MWth installed capacity and another 15,6 MWth is for “other” agriculture purposes (e.g. irrigation, soil heating, etc). Balneology has historical traditions in Hungary, more than 250 wells yield thermal water, sometimes medicinal waters which represent a total installed capacity of 225 MWth. Power production still does not exist, however project developments are ongoing at 3 sites. The shallow geothermal sector unfortunately does not show real development, the increase of GSHP number declined after 2010, in 2015 the estimated number of GSHP-s is 5500. In the family house market and in other official and industrial applications the air-based heat pumps became dominant. The majority of the new applications are installed in new buildings of novel companies. The regulatory framework witnessed some important changes: introduction of a concessional system for deep (≥ 2500 m) geothermal projects, licensing in a “one-stop-shop system” in newly established regional governmental offices, abandonment of compulsory reinjection, announcement of a District Heating Development Action Plan. Hungarian companies and institutions have been active in various national and international research and innovation projects delivering key developments in various fields of geothermal applications. |