CONDITIONS AND POSSIBILITIES OF GEOTHERMAL ENERGY UTILIZATION FOR ECONOMIC-TOURISTIC DEVELOPMENT

Using thermal mineral water in various economic activities would reduce the need for conventional energy sources and increase complementarity and sustainability of the tourism business. Since the temperature of spring wells of Vranjska banja ranges from 63 °C to 95 °C, this paper deals with the possibilities of their use as a renewable energy source. The paper gives the results of water physical and chemical characteristics testing, the temperature and discharge of ten geothermal springs in Vranjska banja, respectively A-1, A-2, EX-2, EX-3, EX-2, B-1, A-3, B-2, Gornji source and a collecting drain. Test results show that the water contains a high concentration of fluorine (8–8.5 mg/l), the impact of which exhibits in the treatment of cancer, nervous system diseases, and a lot of respiratory diseases, arthritis and musculoskeletal disorders. Based on the results of the temperature and the abundance of the geothermal resources in Vranjska banja, the paper presents data on the heat capacity of the spa springs. The paper reports the results of the possibilities of using water springs of Vranjska banja water temperatures up to 25 °C and 37 °C in agriculture, industry, sports activities, etc.