Environmental and social aspects of geothermal energy in Italy

Manzella, Adele; Bonciani, Roberto; Allansdottir, Agnes; Botteghi, S.; Donato, Assunta; Giamberini, S.; Lenzi, Alessandro; Paci, Marco; Pellizzone, Anna; Scrocca, Davide

doi:10.1016/j.geothermics.2017.11.015

Cited by 84 publications

(35 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…Dating back to 1905, the Larderello geothermal activity district is the first worldwide example of geothermal fluids extraction for electricity production. Thirty-four power plants are operating in the area, producing a high environmental impact and triggering subsidence phenomena (Manzella et al, 2018).…”

Section: Subsidence In Italymentioning

confidence: 99%

From ERS 1/2 to Sentinel-1: Subsidence Monitoring in Italy in the Last Two Decades

et al. 2018

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The use of InSAR (Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar) products has greatly increased in the last years because of the technological advances in terms of both acquisition sensors and processing algorithms. The development of multi-interferogram techniques and the availability of free SAR analysis tools has significantly increased the number of worldwide applications of satellite measurements for mapping and monitoring geohazards. InSAR techniques excel in determining ground deformation in urban areas, where the coherence of the radar images is high, and the obtainable results are particularly reliable. Thus, measuring urban subsidence has always been one of the main targets of the InSAR analysis. In this paper, we present a brief review on the applications, in the last decades, of both single and multi-interferogram techniques to monitor ground lowering in urban areas along the Italian Peninsula. Because of its geological context, Italy is prone to slow natural subsidence phenomena sometimes aggravated and accelerated, especially along the coasts and in urbanized areas, by anthropogenic factors (i.e., groundwater overexploitation, consolidation in recent urban expansion, geothermal activities). The review will show how the interferometric data allowed the scientific community to increase the knowledge of the phenomena, map their spatial distribution, and reconstruct their temporal evolution. The final goal of the review is to demonstrate the added value of InSAR data in supporting groundwater management and urban development in Italy.

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Section: Subsidence In Italymentioning

confidence: 99%

From ERS 1/2 to Sentinel-1: Subsidence Monitoring in Italy in the Last Two Decades

et al. 2018

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“…The region is characterized by a moderate and widespread seismic activity, and it is debated whether the seismicity is promoted by active tectonics or caused by exploitation of the geothermal field (i.e., extraction and reinjection) (Manzella et al, and references therein). From a geological point of view, the area of the Venelle 2 well is located in a region affected by NW‐SE and NNE‐SSW trending fault zones.…”

Section: Geological Settingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Tectonic and Anthropogenic Microseismic Activity While Drilling Toward Supercritical Conditions in the Larderello‐Travale Geothermal Field, Italy

et al. 2020

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This study investigates the seismic activity occurring at the Larderello‐Travale geothermal field, central Italy, from June 2017 to January 2018. We deployed a network composed of nine broadband stations around the Venelle 2 well drilling for supercritical fluids. During the experiment, we recognize two types of seismic events (type 1 and type 2). Type‐1 events have clear P and S wave arrivals and occur in clusters both above and below the K‐horizon, which is a seismic reflector marking a debated transition zone at depth. The distribution and evolution of the seismic sequences suggest that the K‐horizon could be interpreted as a fluid‐rich region at near‐lithostatic pressures. Type‐2 events usually occur in swarms and show a periodic pattern, a narrow frequency band, and almost identical waveforms. Their source is estimated to be located near the well, and their occurrence ceases after about 3 weeks from the conclusion of the drilling. We propose a causal link with the drilling operations where pressure fronts inside the well may promote phase changes and fluid flow across the drilled formations. Our study sheds light on the fluid‐driven tectonic and anthropogenic seismic activity at the Larderello‐Travale geothermal field. More generally, we show that microseismic activity occurring during drilling in high‐pressure and high‐temperature conditions can remain at low magnitudes and that geothermal wells targeting geothermal fluids in such systems may be handled safely despite the critical conditions encountered at depth. The drilling of the Venelle 2 well is an encouraging example for the development of geothermal energy in critical conditions.

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“…movements away from the sensor), the first one located in northern Tuscany and the biggest one in the south-western part. These areas are well-known in scientific environment, both referred to subsidence phenomena: the first one along the Firenze-Prato-Pistoia basin (Colombo et al 2003;Del Soldato et al 2018b) and the second one in the Larderello-Travale area where geothermal activities take place (Batini et al 2003), producing relevant subsidence effects (Manzella et al 2018). In the same way, it is possible to observe the presence of PS/DS points probably attributable to landslides phenomena, both in the Apennine area and in the southern part of the Tuscany Region.…”

Section: Deformation Mapsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Sentinel-1-based clustering analysis for geo-hazards mitigation at regional scale: a case study in Central Italy

Montalti

Solari

Bianchini

et al. 2019

Geomatics, Natural Hazards and Risk

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In the last decade satellite remote sensing has become an effective tool for monitoring geo-hazard-induced ground motions, and has been increasingly used by the scientific community. Direct and indirect costs due to geo-hazards are currently rising, causing serious socio-economics and casualty losses. Therefore, creating a priority list turns out to be essential to highlight the most relevant ground deformations and to better focus risk management practices at regional scale. The Sentinel-1 constellation, thanks to the 6-days repeatability and the free availability of the data, allows to easily update the geo-hazard-induced ground motions, compared to other kind of satellite sensors. In this work, a hotspot-like method is presented by filtering a large stack of Sentinel-1 images processed by means of the SqueeSAR algorithm. Three periods, with six months repetitiveness, have been analysed in order to evaluate the behaviour and evolution of deformation clusters. The target area is Tuscany Region, located in the central part of Italy and affected by a wide gamma of geohazards, ranging from landslides to large subsidence areas. The final output is a geo-database of ground motions that can be used by regional authorities to prioritize and to effectively plan local risk reduction actions.

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Environmental and social aspects of geothermal energy in Italy

Cited by 84 publications

References 37 publications

From ERS 1/2 to Sentinel-1: Subsidence Monitoring in Italy in the Last Two Decades

From ERS 1/2 to Sentinel-1: Subsidence Monitoring in Italy in the Last Two Decades

Tectonic and Anthropogenic Microseismic Activity While Drilling Toward Supercritical Conditions in the Larderello‐Travale Geothermal Field, Italy

A Sentinel-1-based clustering analysis for geo-hazards mitigation at regional scale: a case study in Central Italy

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