Geothermal resources and local development in Poland

Summary:

This PhD research looks into the impact of the geothermal resources on local development, zooming into the cases of Polish locations. The geothermal resources (i.e. hot water and steam) are exploited locally. They are conditioned to geological structure of the earth’s crust and access to the geothermal reservoirs. Hence, it is assumed that local advantages of using the geothermal energy reveal in the place of utilization. The research attempts to determine and quantify the relation between using the geothermal resources in the local economy and the local development. A local added value other than energy generation is sought. Main observations point to the role of the geothermal resources in accelerating the competitiveness of a location and to the changes in the economic structure related to the commercial applications of the geothermal renewable.