| Abstract |
Turkey is located on the Mediterranean Sector of Alpine-Himalayan Tectonic Belt. At the same time, this young belt is an important geothermal potential. Geothermal fields are caused from the graben systems of Western Anatolia, widespread volcanism and tectonism of Central and Eastern Anatolia and right lateral and strike slip North Anatolian Fault Zone. Distribution of thermal and mineral water resources has developed through the zones subjected above. In Turkey, approximately 170 geothermal fields which can be useful at the economic scale and about 1500 hot and mineral water resources (spring discharge and geothermal reservoir temperature) which have the temperatures ranged from 20-242oC, have been determined. As a result of the researches and the drillings carried out by General Directorate of Mineral Research and Exploration (MTA), the temperatures and the flow rates of thermal sources in geothermal fields have been increased very seriously. As a result of the exploration and development studies, which have been done, an electrical power plant (20.4 MWe) was installed in Denizli-Kizildere field in 1984 and than important developments in applications of greenhouse and dwelling heating systems (992 MWt) has been obtained in Turkey. Main important items for developments of geothermal energy in Turkey are given below; * To supply the required support about know-how transfer, education, finance and equipment necessities via realization of projects in common with international organizations. * To provide the validity of related legislations as soon as possible. * Determination of utilization possibilities of geothermal fields planing of these fields in the form of integrated utilization and encouragement of the geothermal usages. * To encourage the international organizations for their investments about this sector. Since the geothermal sources are clean, cheap and renewable there is an expectation for widespread applications all around the country in the near future. |