Environmental Impacts and Benefits of Geothermal Direct-Use Applications
Most geothermal direct-use applications—such as district and space heating, aquaculture, and greenhouses—impact the environment to a lesser degree than large-scale, geothermal power plants in regards to:
- Meeting clean air standards
- Meeting water quality standards
- Minimizing solid waste
- Minimizing land use and impact.
This can benefit states, local communities, agribusinesses, and other industries that need these resources. See Table 1 below for information about the probability and severity of potential environmental impacts from geothermal direct-use projects.
