Geothermal Energy Alternatives For Agriculture PDF Download

Following the principle goal to emphasize the development and promotion of new and renewable energy sources, adapted to the socio economic needs of rural population in developing countries. European Cooperative Network on Rural Energy (CNRE) paid particular atention to the so called "thermal effluents" use in agriculture. To find how much the development and use of such energy sources are interesting for developing countries, one Technical Consultation and two Workshops were organized. Very interesting scientific papers and practical experiences presented at the meetings, justified establishment of two working groups (or Networks) to cover the problematics: Industrial Thermal Effluments Use in Agriculture and Geothermal Energy Use in Agriculture, coordinated by Prof. Dr. L.A. Aires Barros and leaded by the Networks Chairmen Dr. T. O'Flaherty and Dr. K. Popovski, respectively. Even the economical conditions are not so positive, as they were during the times until 1982, the results of first three years of collaboration in the frame of Networks are justifying the statement that these two groups of energy and promising between all other alternative energy sources. That is particularly the case with Geothermal Energy Use in Agriculture Network, in which the initial membership arised from initial 14 to over 70 in three years, only. A bulk of informations and experiences about geothermal energy resources and technologies of use in agriculture are already collected. Very much of them are of local, but some are of general interest for participating countries. The task of the Network activity in near future shall be to make them useful there, where are necessary. New edition of the FAO Regional office for Europe "Rural Energy Country Review" is enabling the presentation of summaries of informations about geothermal energy resources, present status of application, characteristics of used technologies, positive and negative experiences and prospectives for improving geothermal energy use in agriculture. Wider circulation of informations is enabling to spread reached "know-how" of different countries, but also to find good possibilities for application of own one. Presentation of present status and prospectives of geothermal energy use in agriculture in Turkey is choosen because of two reasons: It is recognized that between all European countries Turkey has probably the most promising geothermal energy potential in good correlation with the needs of agriculture; and it is the hosting country of the Joint Workshop of Geothermal Energy Use in Agriculture and Solar Heating of Greenhouses Networks, from 11th to 14th of April 1988, just after the edition of the first number of Rural Energy Country Review.