Current scenario and prospects of geothermal resources for sustainable energy in India

The energy deficit in India is 2752 MU with a peak power deficit of 8.66 GW in April 2022, which is high in 2022. India has a relatively considerable amount of low and medium-enthalpy hydrothermal resources, which can control the energy crisis and also environmental pollution. Globally, 10,20,887 TJ/yr of geothermal energy has been used for direct applications in the different sectors, which can replace approximately 5.96 × 10 7 barrels of oil equivalent energy and reduce the emission of 2.53 × 10 7 tonnes of CO 2 . In addition, various geothermal power plants with a total capacity of around 15.96 GW were installed globally till 2020. However, India is utilizing only 4007 TJ/yr of thermal energy for direct heat applications. Though the Indian geothermal resources are capable of producing 10 GW of power, India has not started commercial power production yet. The primary focus of this study is to review the geothermal energy resources, their scope and requirement in India. In addition, the strategies to overcome the challenges to harness geothermal energy in India are also discussed. The present study will help the stakeholders and researchers to propose development activities in geothermal energy extraction in India.