Abstract:

This paper includes five parts: Why should exploit Hot Dry Rock (HDR) geothermal resources? What is Hot Dry Rock system and Enhanced Geothermal System (EGS)? How much is the potential of HDR system in China? How are we to develop EGS in China? and the last one is our recommendations. With the conventional energy sources continually consumed, the renewable energy sources is increasingly favored by people. In renewable energies, the geothermal energy is with huge capacity and the geothermal power generation can provide the basic load, but its development has lagged behind wind and solar energies due to many factors. In particular, the research and development of Enhanced Geothermal System with huge capacity and difficult of exploitaition are just beginning in China. If geothermal electric energy production must surpass wind and solar energy, the development and utilization of geothermal energy can not only rely on the hydrothermal systems, but must pay attention to the utilization of HDR and to the research and development of EGS. How much is the potential of HDR system in China? Based on 921 heat flow data,the heat flow map and deep temperature map (at 310 km) of Chinese Mainland has been prepared by the Institute of Geology and Geophysics of Chinese Academy of Sciences. They calculated subsurface temperature and HDR resources at different depth of about 2.09×107 EJ. Among them, the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau occupied one fifth of the total of resources. The authors argue that the exploitation of HDR and establishment of EGS is a systematic project. The geothermal development is a risk investment and the sub-economic EGS has a greater risk. The state should make unified arrangement and investment. The project must learn from foreign experience and lessons of exploitation. A key area has been selected for testing and research. The authors thought that the northern part of Yangbajain Geothermal Field in Tibet is a better choice to be a test area.

Key words: renewable energy, hydrothermal system, hot dry rock(HDR), enhanced geothermal system(EGS)