2021 年 44 巻 3 号 p. 75-82
This study evaluated the geothermal potential of 18 municipalities that want to develop geothermal energy in the future, comparing geothermal potential with the current annual electricity demand. As a result, it was found that the condition of “distance from existing hot springs,” which has not yet been taken into account in the evaluation of geothermal potential, affects the geothermal potential by up to 40% in more than half of the municipalities, pointing out the need to introduce this condition in future analyses.
It was also shown that 17.6% of the municipalities had annual electricity demand that exceeded the annual demand of the region, even after taking into account the severe environmental and social conditions. The study showed the importance of each municipality setting a direction for the development and utilization of geothermal energy. The process of calculating the geothermal installation potential used in this study could contribute to this development as well.