Geothermal District Heating is the use of geothermal energy (in the form of hot water) to heat homes and businesses in a particular region by moving the heat from underground, into homes and businesses.  

In lower pressure geothermal systems and shallower wells, water heated underground is brought to the surface and pumped through large pipes directly into businesses and homes for space heating.

Higher pressure systems from deeper wells are too hot to pump directly and often have high salinity and high mineral content, which is very corrosive to equipment.  To avoid costly damage, heat is transferred from the corrosive water to fresh water for transportation to homes and businesses.  

Higher pressure geothermal plants also use the heat to create steam and operate turbines to produce electricity.  Plants that produce electricity and supply hot water are called Co-Generation or Co-Gen plants.

Using District Heating, both low and high-pressure systems can provide a great deal of heat energy directly to a large number of residences and business in a particular region.  In Reykjavik, Iceland, over 95% of all buildings are heated via Geothermal District Heating.

Geothermal energy is a very clean and environmentally responsible type of energy.  Geothermal energy and geothermal district heating has a near-zero carbon footprint. 

Additional information:

	Brynjólfur Björnsson Section Manager of Utilities
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