Future Aspects of Geothermal Energy in Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Geothermal energy seems to be a clean proven and reliable resource for supplying the needs of a sustainable society and helping to improve the global environment. Although the studies on geothermal resources exploration in Saudi Arabia were started in 1980 since then any serious geothermal projects have not been undertaken excepting to the availability of some potentially resources-rich geothermal locations. The first in situ determination of the thermal properties of the underground soil required for the design of borehole heat exchangers was reported in 2009 for the first time. In this study future aspects of geothermal energy were treated first. The exergetic aspects of some geothermal resources available were then explained using a specific exergy index. Finally the results obtained were given and discussed. It is expected that some barriers hindering the utilization of geothermal resources in Saudi Arabia will be overcome and geothermal energy utilization will become a viable option in the near future.