Geothermal Energy
Nowaday, electricity have important part in our daily life. Every facilities that we use is run by electricity. So, us, human had developed many technologies to generated electricity from resources that exist on earth. Geothermal energy is one of those resources that human uesd for generate electricity. Geothermal energy is heat that is generated within the […]
Nowaday, electricity have important part in our daily life. Every facilities that we use is run by electricity. So, us, human had developed many technologies to generated electricity from resources that exist on earth. Geothermal energy is one of those resources that human uesd for generate electricity.
Geothermal energy is heat that is generated within the Earth. It is a renewable resource that can be harvested for human use. The heat can be captured and used directly for heat, or their steam can be used to generate electricity. Geothermal energy can be used to heat structures such as buildings, parking lots, and sidewalks.
The majority of the Earth’s geothermal energy is not released as magma, water, or steam. It remains in the mantle, slowly radiating outward and gathering in regions of extreme heat. This geothermal heat can be accessible through drilling and augmented with injected water to produce steam.
Several countries have developed methods to harness geothermal energy. Different regions of the world have access to different forms of geothermal energy. Geothermal power plants rely on heat that resides a few kilometers below the Earth’s surface to collect enough energy to generate electricity. Some areas have naturally occurring beneath like pockets steam or hot water.
Dry-Steam Power Plants
Dry-steam power plants utilize the naturally occurring underground steam resources. The steam is sent straight to a power plant, where it powers turbines and produces energy.
Flash-Steam Power Plant
Steam and hot water from naturally occurring underground sources are used in flash-steam power plants. Water that is hotter than 182° C (360° F) is pumped into a low-pressure area. Some of the water “flashes,” or evaporates rapidly into steam, and is funneled out to power a turbine and generate electricity. To extract even more energy, any leftover water can be flashed in a separate tank.
Binary Cycle Power Plants
Binary cycle power plants produce heat and preserve water through a special method. Below ground, water is heated to between 107° and 182° C (225° and 360° F). The hot water is circulated through a conduit that is above ground. A liquid organic molecule with a lower boiling point than water is heated by the hot water. Steam produced by the organic liquid passes through a turbine and fuels a generator to provide energy. Steam is the sole emission throughout this process. The ground recycles the water in the pipe so that Earth can re-heat it and use it to heat the organic molecule once more.
Benefits
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Geothermal energy is renewable. The heat flowing from Earth’s interior is continually replenished by the decay of naturally occurring radioactive elements and will remain available for billions of years.
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Regardless of the weather, geothermal power plants can generate electricity virtually every day of the week, twenty-four hours a day.
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Geothermal energy use is particularly clean. Although certain systems release very small amounts of sulfur dioxide, nitrous oxides, and particles, the majority just release water vapor.
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The lifespan of geothermal power facilities can reach several decades or even centuries. When a reservoir is correctly maintained, the rate at which the rock regenerates its heat and the amount of energy extracted can be balanced.
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Compact geothermal heat pumps and power plants are developed. Compared to comparable-capacity coal (3,642 m2), wind (1,335 m2), and solar photovoltaic (PV) power plants (3,237 m2), geothermal power plants utilize less land per gigawatt-hour (404 m2). GHPs can be included into new construction or retrofitted.
Challenges
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Geological studies and extensive research are necessary to find suitable geothermal sites, and they can be costly and time-consuming.
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Financing geothermal projects can be difficult to come by and usually require large upfront investments.
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The regional concentration of geothermal resources restricts their widespread use in some areas.
References:
https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/geothermal-energy/
https://www.energy.gov/eere/geothermal/geothermal-basics
https://www.sovtech.com/blog/7-innovative-technologies-for-electricity-generation
This articles is part of the class “751447 SEM IN CUR ECON PROB” supervised by Asst. Prof. Napon Hongsakulvasu. Faculty of Economics, Chiang Mai University.
This article was written by Naphat Phasang 641615029.
