The pattern of exploitation and utilization of geothermal energy in China is gradually becoming clear

Geothermal reserves, wide distribution, with clean environmental protection, a wide range of uses, good stability, recycling and other characteristics, compared with solar energy, wind energy is not subject to seasonal, climate, day and night changes and other external factors interference advantages, making it a realistic and competitive choice for the development of new basic energy.

In recent years, in order to strengthen the construction of ecological civilization, control air pollution, and reduce the proportion of fossil energy consumption such as coal, the country has generally paid attention to the development and utilization of clean energy.

In 2016, geothermal energy development was included in the national economic and social development plan for the first time. According to the draft of China's "13th Five-Year Plan" geothermal industry Development Plan, by 2020, China's geothermal heating/cooling area will reach 1.6 billion square meters, plus power generation, planting, breeding, bathing, etc., a total of 72.1 million tons of standard coal can be replaced.

While showing the major development opportunities of the industry, the draft highlights the need to do a good job in geothermal resource potential exploration, the formation of geothermal industry direction and a relatively complete geothermal energy development and utilization management system and policy system, the formation of a relatively complete geothermal energy development and utilization equipment research and development, standard system, monitoring system.

At the 2014 China International Mining Conference, some experts proposed that professional team construction, policy support, industrial structure optimization and resource integration are the key to building geothermal energy into a new growth point of the national economy.

Two years on, what is the current progress of geothermal energy development and utilization? The reporter recently conducted a follow-up interview and found that a geothermal energy development model supported by management, technology and comprehensive utilization is gradually becoming clear.

Build the whole process management system

Geothermal energy is usually harvested locally and used immediately. How to manage is directly related to whether we can make good use of this resource.

"Local geothermal development requires government support and enterprise cooperation. But at present, many places have not set up special geothermal management departments, which leads to difficulties in rational development and utilization of geothermal resources and registration of mining rights." In the view of Wang Yanxin, director of the Economic Institute of the National Geothermal Energy Development and Utilization Research and Application Technology Promotion Center, in the cooperation between enterprises and local geothermal development, the government needs to lead the establishment of a special management department to achieve scientific and efficient development of resources.

In recent years, some successful pilots have also demonstrated the importance of geothermal development management. In 2009, the Hebei provincial government and Sinopec Group launched a pilot cooperation in Xiongxian County, Hebei Province, providing an effective model for the centralized use of geothermal energy. After six years of construction, Xiongxian uses geothermal heating area of 3.85 million square meters, more than 90% of the heating uses geothermal energy, and has built the country's first "smoke-free city". Among them, the "four unifications" played a crucial role. The county government shall formulate preferential policies for geothermal exploration, development, operation and maintenance, and collection of heating fees. The establishment of geothermal management office, the comprehensive utilization of geothermal energy for unified management; To formulate special plans for geothermal development and incorporate them into overall plans for urban construction and economic development; The geothermal resource development concession was granted to Sinopec Group for overall development.

"As of the end of 2015, the city registered 329 geothermal mining rights, heating communities and public construction projects 352, heating area reached 25.03 million square meters, an increase of 12.59 million square meters compared with the end of the 11th Five-Year Plan, an increase of 101%." Geothermal development creates direct economic benefits of 690 million yuan/year and indirect economic benefits of 390 million yuan/year, directly and indirectly driving about 5,000 employees; "Geothermal use is equivalent to saving 326,000 tons of standard coal and reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 775,000 tons per year." This is a set of data obtained from the geothermal management office of the Tianjin Land Resources and Housing Administration.

Tianjin's achievements in the large-scale development and utilization of geothermal energy have made it a template for many other regions to follow. Hou Fuzhi, director of the geothermal management Department of Tianjin Land and Housing Administration Bureau, said that good geological conditions, early start and wide range are the basis for Tianjin to make geothermal bigger, but in order to become stronger, the formation of a set of whole process management system that runs through exploration - mining - use is very key.