Possibilities of Geothermal Water Use for the Heating of Greenhouses

One of the most current problems of the contemporary world economy is energy, still dominated by oil. The gradual depletion of fossil fuel resources as a result of increasing energy demand for economic development and the unforeseeable fluctuation of oil prices, but also as a result of increasing greenhouse gas emissions, have triggered and intensified research to find and use other renewable energy resources existing around the globe. In order to produce vegetables and flowers in greenhouses, a significant share in production costs is the cost of fuel. In this context, the authors of the paper analysed the possibility of reducing the costs for heating greenhouses by using geothermal resources. The studies in this regard confirm that Romania has a high potential for geothermal energy, being the third country in Europe after Greece and Italy with high geothermal potential, but which is currently not sufficiently well known or properly exploited especially in the western area of the country. Romania can increase its energy efficiency by putting particular emphasis on the exploitation of renewable energy resources, which can contribute to reducing energy and food dependence of our country on imports, to limiting the negative effects on the environment and, last but not least, to increasing the supply of the population with food as a result of the use of geothermal waters for heating greenhouses, which are abundantly found in the western part of Romania, particularly in Timis County.