Energy

Where it is produced

Tuscany and the northern part of the Lazio region are well-known for their production of geothermal energy and host the largest geothermal plants in Italy (and Europe), near Piancastagnaio, at the foot of the Amiata mountain, and in Civitavecchia. The biggest plant is “The Geysers” plant, located 140 km in the north of San Francisco in California (USA), with a total power of 750 megawatts. Near Orbetello an important aquaculture centre was created: seawater is mixed with water at a temperature between 17°C and 25°C to create the optimum environment to breed sea-bass and pandoras. Among the direct uses of heat, the most meaningful example at European level is the urban heating system in Ferrara. It is a district heating system that supplies 14,000 flats with hot water at 102°C, coming from a location at 4 km from the city, from a well at 1,300 metres of depth that was originally drilled for oil search. By extracting 250 cubic metres of water, 12,000 tons of oil are saved each year. The water is then re-injected underground. As well as saving fossil fuel, district heating reduces air pollution, bringing many benefits to urban centres. In the Euganean Hills area (Abano Terme, Montegrotto, etc.) and to a lesser extent in Bormio, near the border to Switzerland, hot water is exploited for spas and household heating. According to a recent study it was calculated that with the “vapour dominant” geothermal systems that are present in Tuscany and Lazio it would be possible to produce more than 5 billion kW per hour, a quantity that would satisfy the national demand for 70 years, while the use of “water dominant” geothermal systems would lead to a huge production of electric power, which is impossible to estimate.