ASSESSING THE IMPACTS OF GEOTHERMAL POWER EXPLORATION ON THE ENVIRONMENT, A CASE STUDY OLKARIA GEOTHERMAL POWER PLANT, KENYA

Abstract

Geothermal energy has been used for centuries throughout the world. Recently, because of a push to diversify forms of energy away from fossil fuels, geothermal energy has been researched and utilized to great effect. Geothermal energy is considered a renewable resource and the emissions from plants are close to none when compared with other fossil fuel powered plants. Although geothermal energy is much more environmentally friendly than other types of energy production, there are still aspects of geothermal energy plants that can be harmful towards the environment. The research entails assessing the impact of geothermal energy exploration to the environment, how it has affected the ecosystem, by understanding the contributing factors and to provide the rates of its spatial occurrences and have an overview of the past and the present. It focuses to highlight the changes of land use over time period of over thirty years from 1981. The study monitors the trends in LST, SMI and NDWI in correlation to the expanding exploration of geothermal energy generation within the stated epoch. The variables in consideration in these study involves the impacts to changing trend in land use also have impacts on temperatures, rainfall and soil attributes (PH, texture and type) which are very essential in the survival and thriving of an ecosystem which is a natural protected area ,hence the project has an in-depth of such variables The study found that geothermal exploration and LST of the study area has a strong positive relationship. The study also found that the soil moisture (SMI) and water bodies (NDWI) have a strong negative relationship with the geothermal exploration in the study area. The outcomes of the land use/land cover classification have showed that the built up area and bare land areas are increased whereas the vegetation areas, agricultural areas and water body have decreased over the study period. It also shows that, mean Land Surface Temperature of 2019 is increased as compare to base year 1999.