Geothermal power taps into the abundant heat deep inside the Earth to produce renewable, sustainable energy. The possibilities for power generation and direct use of this renewable energy resource are great. In this article we provide information of geothermal generators and where they are used
Geothermal Energy Explained
Geothermal energy is a product of the natural heat contained within the Earth of which the majority stems from radioactive decay in the Earth’s core and additional residual heat left over from planet formation[2]. The surface receives this heat through conduction,convection currents and radiation thereby making it a sustainable & renewable resource[2].
Geothermal energy advantages (pros)
- **Environmental Benefits **Geothermal power is a clean source of energy that produces little to no greenhouse gasses — sulfur dioxide or nitrogen oxides compared to fossil fuels[2]. Therefore, it is a green option of diminishing environment-disrupting carbon footprints.
- Reliability and Baseload Capacity: Geothermal power plants can run around the clock, providing a constantly available electricity source much like coal[2] —unlike intermittent renewable sources such as wind and solar.
- Economic Benefits of Geothermal: Development investment and operation for geothermal can add jobs locally which help economic gain. The logic is that this reduces reliance on imports and boosts energy independence, too[2].
Applications Outside Power Generation
- Geothermal heating and cooling: Efficiently cutting down energy use, costs over geothermal heat pumps pull heat from the earth in winter to warm your home, then simply reverse it for cool in the summer.
- Direct Applications: Other use of geothermal heat as a direct application in Spas, greenhouses, fish farms and agriculture give a good example to increased productivity with minimal environmental impact [2].
- District heating systems: With proper development, geothermal energy can also help decarbonize communities by providing renewable space and water heating which is the largest end-use of fossil fuels today[2].
Geothermal Power Plants
Types of Geothermal Power Plants
- Flash Steam Power Plants – These plants exploit high-pressure hot water reservoirs by separating the steam from water and using it to drive turbines [1] [4].
- Binary Cycle Power Plants: Binary cycle plants transfer the heat from geothermal fluid to a secondary (binary) fluid, which vaporizes readily.
- Dry Steam Power Plants: These are constructed near underground reservoirs of natural steam, then this steam is injected right into the turbine which rotates and generates electricity[2][4].
- GEOTHERMAL 1) ENHANCED GEOTHERMAL SYSTEM(EGS)
EGS technology involves the creation of artificial reservoirs in hot rocks by injecting fluid to create pathways, which when accessible to water, enables electricity generation. This could enable geothermal energy to be readily produced around the U.S. at more than 100 GW of total installed capacity by 2050, enough to meet the annual electricity needs of over 65 million American homes[4].
Future Prospects
Geothermal energy holds a huge potential for fulfilling the need of power and heating, on a global scale. Geothermal energy may meet 3-5% of global demand for power and heating by 2050[3] Research is being conducted into the region of use of geothermal energy to include additional resources by developing other types such as Enhanced Geothermal Systems and Sedimentary Geothermal Resources[4].
To sum up, Geothermal energy is developed as an sustainable resource for power generation plus direct use having copious merit. Its ability to expand using EGS and sedimentary geothermal resources also makes it uniquely situated to be a part of the transition towards a low-carbon future.
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