Geothermal Heating in Turkey

There is solid evidence that mankind has utilized geothermal heating throughout history, and today the global interest for this source of energy is growing rapidly. One of the countries with a vast unexploited potential within this area is Turkey, where Alfa Laval has been selected to supply the equipment for a major district heating infrastructure in Balcova in the coastal province of Izmir.

A Vast Potential
The potential for large-scale utilization of thermal energy is most obvious in regions where there is volcanic activity close to the earth surface, which are regions situated close to the continental plate boundaries. In terms of volumes utilized, the Top Five countries of geothermal heating are: China, Japan, USA, Iceland and Turkey. In spite of the vast potential, only a small percentage (3 %) of the Turkish geothermal resources have been exploited. The project in Balcova is an interesting “model project” soon distributing heat and domestic tap water to an additional number of households with geothermal water as medium.