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| Puga Geothermal Field Ladakh, by Dr. Ritesh Arya, Arya Drillers, Chandigarh, India. GRC Photo Contest 2017. |
Several locations in India are known to have a potential for production of geothermal energy. A new analysis of available data on all such sites has shown that Puga geothermal field in Ladakh could be a good site for further exploration.
A team of researchers from Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS) Pilani has used nine parameters to analyze data relating to Puga in Ladakh, Chhumathang in Jammu and Kashmir, Manikaran in Himachal Pradesh, Tattapani in Chhattisgarh, Unhavre Khed in Maharashtra and Tapoban in Uttarakhand. Based on this analysis, they have concluded that Puga has the most potential.
Researchers used thermo-hydro-geological data to conceptualize geothermal reservoirs and then used simulation software to assess a key parameter called ‘Useful Resource Base’ of reservoirs. URB denotes extraction temperature of a reservoir for an operation period of 20 years which is the typical lifetime for a geothermal bed. The researchers differentiated the sites based on a cumulative score computed on nine criteria like a cumulative discharge of thermal springs, minimum and maximum electrical resistivity, representative reservoir temperature and other factors.
