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ELECTRICITY GENERATION

Installed geothermal generating capacity (December 2009) in MW

Guadeloupe Island 15.0

Geothermal electricity is not available on the mainland, but only in the Caribbean islands it can reach up to 20% of electricity needs.

The high enthalpy utilization for electricity production in France is only in the French Overseas Department, at Bouillante on Guadeloupe island (Geothermie Bouillante). Its exploitation started in 1984, and a second unit in 2004 has been commissioned. The reservoir temperature is 250°C at shallow depth. The total capacity of 15 MW, not increased since 2005, produces 95 GWh, corresponding to 8% of the local consumption. The activity for the third unit of 20 MW is ongoing. The final target will reach 20% of geothermal contribution to the electricity needs.

On the islands of La Martinique and La Réunion, geothermal exploration programs are planned in the near future.

The EGS project at Soultz-sous-Forêts is now operating a scientific pilot plant module of 1.5 MW. The enhanced geothermal system, exploited with a three-well system in the granite formation at depth of 5,000 m, is expected to stabilize its operation in the coming year. In December 2008, the output ranged around 12 MWth for a cumulative flow-rate ranging around 28 l/s. The first kWh has been produced in June 2008.

Taken from Ruggero Bertani’s paper, " Geothermal Power Generation in the World 2005–2010 Update Report ", published in Proceedings of the World Geothermal Congress 2010, Bali, Indonesia, 25-29 April 2010.

DIRECT USES

Total thermal installed capacity in MWt:	1,345
Direct use in TJ/year	12,929
Direct use in GWh/year	3,591.7
Capacity factor	0.30

The development of geothermal resources in the country has seen several phases: after a major development phase based on low enthalpy resources from sedimentary basins at the beginning of the 1980s; followed by a period of withdrawal during the 1990s with very little new activity; then more recently by a revival of activity of all kinds, based on a policy by the government for energy management and development, especially of renewable energy (French Energy Law in 2005 and the large consulting process "Grenelle de l’environnement" in 2007).
The goal of the latter act is to have 535 ktoe/year of geothermal heating by 2012, and 1,300 by 2020 composed of district heating (about 40%), large heat pumps (about 20%), and individual geothermal heat pumps (about 40%), based on 220 ktoe/yr in 2006.
A "renewable heating and cooling fund" was set up by the finance law 2009-2011, which supports renewable heating and cooling projects.

The use of geothermal heat pumps started in the 80s, and now provides 20,000 units for heating individual houses. Most geothermal heat pump units are either direct expansion or water-source type with 74% new and 26% retrofit installations.
Geothermal district heating supplies heat to 150,000 dwellings mainly in the Paris and Aquitaine basins.

At present the direct-uses include:

district heating (300 MWt and 4,900 TJ/yr),
greenhouse heating (9 MWt and 155 TJ/yr),
fish farming (19 MWT and 212 TJ/yr),
bathing and swimming (17 MWt and 162 TJ/yr),
and geothermal heat pumps (mainly individual homes) (1,000 MWt and 7,500 TJ/yr),

for a total of 1,345 MWt and 12,929 TJ/yr.

Fish farming, greenhouses and bathing uses are mainly located in the Aquitance Basin or other regions outside of Paris (Boissier et al., 2010).

Taken from the paper by John W. Lund, Derek H. Freeston, and Tonya L. Boyd: "Direct Utilization of Geothermal Energy 2010 Worldwide Review"; published in Proceedings of the World Geothermal Congress 2010, Bali, Indonesia, 25-29 April 2010

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