Environmental and Social Impacts of the Increasing Number of Geothermal Power Plants (Büyük Menderes Graben - Turkey)

The use of renewable energy is critical to the long-term development of global energy. Geothermal Power Plants (GPP) differ in the technology they use to convert the source to electricity (dual, single flash, double flash, back pressure, and dry steam) as well as the cooling technology they use (water-cooled and air-cooled). The environmental consequences vary depending on the conversion and cooling technology used. Environmental consequences of geothermal exploration, development, and energy generation includes land use and visual impacts, microclimatic impacts, impacts on flora-fauna and biodiversity, air emissions, water quality, soil pollution, noise, micro-earthquakes, induced seismicity, and subsidence. It can also have an impact on social and economic communities. As geothermal activity progresses from exploration to development and production, these effects become more significant. Before beginning geothermal energy activity, the positive and negative aspects of these effects should be considered. The number of GPPs in the Büyük Menderes Graben (BMG) geothermal area is increasing rapidly. According to the findings, in order to reduce the environmental and social impacts of the GPPs in the BMG, resource conservation and development, production sustainability, and operational problems should be continuously monitored.