Geothermal power plants are associated with sulfur dioxide and silica emissions, and the reservoirs can contain traces of toxic heavy metals including mercury, arsenic and boron. Regardless of how we look at it, the pollution associated with geothermal power is nowhere near what we see with coal power and fossil fuels.
Geothermal Energy Pros and Cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|
| Efficient (300- 500% compared to 90% of the best furnaces). | Electricity is still needed to operate heat pumps. |
| Geothermal energy is a renewable resource as long as the Earth exists. | Geothermal energy using wells requires an incredible usage of water. |
Geothermal energy is one of the renewable energy sources that have gained widespread acceptance as an alternative to fossil fuels energy. The main difference between geothermal energy and fossil fuels energy is the sustainability. Geothermal energy is sourced from the inherent heat produced by the earth.
The infrastructure (basic building facilities and installations) required to develop geothermal energy is a geothermal power plant to make power and the electrical grid for power distribution. Geothermal plants are very reliable.
The world geothermal comes from the Greek words geo which means earth and therme which means heat. Basically geothermal energy is heat energy harvested from the Earth itself. Geothermal heat is produced by the core of the Earth itself.
Experts say geothermal energy is cleaner, more efficient, and more cost-effective than burning fossil fuels, and it can reduce our dependence on foreign oil. Geothermal plants are also considered to be more reliable than coal or nuclear plants because they can run consistently, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
Environmental effects and economic costs. The environmental effects of geothermal development and power generation include the changes in land use associated with exploration and plant construction, noise and sight pollution, the discharge of water and gases, the production of foul odours, and soil subsidence.
The three main uses of geothermal energy are: 1) Direct Use and District Heating Systems which use hot water from springs or reservoirs near the surface. 2) Electricity generation in a power plant requires water or steam at very high temperature (300 to 700 degrees Fahrenheit).
How Can We Use Geothermal Energy?
- Direct geothermal energy. In areas where hot springs or geothermal reservoirs are near the Earth's surface, hot water can be piped in directly to heat homes or office buildings.
- Geothermal heat pump.
- Geothermal power plant.
Geothermal heating system price varies depending on the type of loop system, usually either vertical or horizontal. On average, a typical home of 2500 square feet, with a heating load of 60,000 BTU and a cooling load of 60,000 BTU will cost between $20,000 to $25,000 to install.
A lava fountain is an example of the amount of heat stored in the Earth. Geysers, lava mountains and hot springs are all natural examples of geothermal energy. In addition, geothermal energy is now a lot more common in homes and businesses, using geothermal heat pumps to cool and heat buildings.
Its current uses include heating buildings (either individually or whole towns), raising plants in greenhouses, drying crops, heating water at fish farms, and several industrial processes, such as pasteurizing milk.
Normally, geothermal energy is stored in hot water underground. It is difficult to take advantage of this energy source unless hot water makes it through the Earth's crust in the form of hot springs or steam. However, with geothermal technology, we can finally make use of this energy.
Why is geothermal energy a renewable resource? Answer: Because its source is the almost unlimited amount of heat generated by the Earth's core. Even in geothermal areas dependent on a reservoir of hot water, the volume taken out can be reinjected, making it a sustainable energy source.
When geothermal power plants do emit gases, it's mostly carbon dioxide, which isn't a pollutant but a greenhouse gas. Still, geothermal power plants emit much less carbon dioxide than fossil fuel power plants.
Geothermal power plants do not burn fuel to generate electricity, so the levels of air pollutants they emit are low. Geothermal power plants emit 97% less acid rain-causing sulfur compounds and about 99% less carbon dioxide than fossil fuel power plants of similar size.
Tidal Energy. Tidal energy is a renewable energy powered by the natural rise and fall of ocean tides and currents. Some of these technologies include turbines and paddles.
So is natural gas renewable? Biomethane, however, is a renewable, natural gas. It's considered renewable because of how easy it is to make, especially compared to nonrenewable energy sources like fossil fuels. As long as you have livestock matter or landfill materials, you can make more biomethane.
The GSI (Geological Survey of India) has identified 350 geothermal energy locations in the country. The most promising of these is in Puga valley of Ladakh. The estimated potential for geothermal energy in India is about 10000 MW.
Geothermal Energy: Heating the Future. The earth's heat also known as geothermal energy is energy that escapes through the form of steam such as the Nevada hot springs. Geothermal energy is not only clean, but it is also sustainable and renewable as it is continually being produced.
Geothermal power plants use steam to produce electricity. The steam comes from reservoirs of hot water found a few miles or more below the earth's surface. The steam rotates a turbine that activates a generator, which produces electricity.
Use of geothermal energy for combined heat and power is also on the rise. But yet geothermal power projects has not been exploited at all, owing to a variety of reasons, the chief being the availability of plentiful coal at cheap costs.
U.S. geothermal power plants are located in the West
Most of the geothermal power plants in the United States are in western states and Hawaii, where geothermal energy resources are close to the earth's surface. California generates the most electricity from geothermal energy.Geothermal is posed to grow by leaps and bounds internationally in the coming years, with rapid growth in countries like Indonesia, the Philippines, and Kenya, all rich in geothermal resources. International geothermal nameplate capacity under development as of September 2016.
Geothermal power stations are similar to other steam turbine thermal power stations in that heat from a fuel source (in geothermal's case, the Earth's core) is used to heat water or another working fluid. The working fluid is then used to turn a turbine of a generator, thereby producing electricity.
