Methods to Harness Energy What is Geothermal Energy?
Methods of Harnessing Energy What exactly is Geothermal Energy?
Geothermal originates from geothermal, which is derived from the Greek terms geo (meaning earth) and (meaning warmth). Convective circulation plays an important role in bringing heat to the surface of the Earth’s hot interior.
The Earth’s crust is the consequence of millions of volcanoes that are active, enormous volumes of magma, and a lot of cooling below the surface. The enduring and widespread volcanism has created a wealth of natural resources throughout the world.
Geothermal Power plants energy can be extracted from groundwater that has been heated by hot, large magma bodies. Get energy from Brantley 1994 Volcanoes in the United States. USGS General Interest Publication.
The deep circulation of groundwater in fracture zones will allow heat to be absorbed into lower levels. The heat could be collected over a large region and then concentrated near the tanks that store water on the surface or discharged as hot springs. These reservoirs can contain hot water or even a stream.
The hot water in these reservoirs or steam can be pumped directly onto the surface. This low-energy waste water is frequently reinjected into the storage tank or used to heat the tank for. This technology is able to produce electricity as in addition to heat for domestic as well as industrial purposes.
The reliability, economics sustainable, green nature of geothermal power have been demonstrated (World Bank Group 2004).
There are generally two main types of minerals: (1) high temperature resources and (2) moderate/low temperature resources. Geothermal resources that are high temperature that can attain temperatures as high as 220 degrees Celsius or more, are primarily found in volcanic areas and islands chains.
All continents have moderate-low temperature resources. High temperatures are mostly for power production and the vast majority of the resources with low temperatures are used to heat direct or for aquaculture and agriculture.
What is the process behind Harnessing Geothermal Energy work?
Today, there are three types of geothermal power plants currently in operation.
Steam plants that directly use geothermal steam. These power stations that use dry steam use very heated steam (>455 degrees Fahrenheit, or >235 temperatures Celsius) and very little reservoir water. The steam flows straight through a tube and is sent to a generator that spins a generator to generate electricity. It is the earliest type of geothermal power station. It first was used around 1904 at Lardarello, Italy. Geysers are found in North California are one example of dry steam production (Green Jobs 2002).
Flash Steam Plants use high pressure hot water to make steam even when pressure is lower. The flash steam plants make use of hot water from the reservoir with a temperature of more than 360degF or 182 degrees Celsius. The deep reservoir pressure will be released once the reservoir is delivered into a generator.
A sudden decrease in pressure causes water to evaporate and turn into steam. The steam spins a motor which generates electricity. Dry steam and flash steam release only a small amount of carbon dioxide, sulfur oxides, as well as nitric Ox. But, this is fifty times less than traditional fossil fuel power plants.
Binary Cycle Plants use water at moderate temperatures (225 to 360deg For 107 to 182degC) from the geothermal reserve. Hot geothermal fluids can be heated by passing through one side that of the exchanger.
In order to generate electricity the fluid used is usually an organic compound that has a low boiling point like Isobutane as well as Isopentane. Then, it is vaporized and passed through turbines.
The Kalina Cycle is also a source of ammonia-water fluid to work as a fluid. According to Green Jobs 2002, the Kalina Cycle system increases geothermal plant efficiency as well as reducing construction costs. According to the manufacturers.
The geothermal power station as shown on the right is located in the Casa Diablo geothermal field. Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory.
Geothermal Energy Applications
- Space/District Heating - Schemes that make use of geothermal heat to supply more than 80% of Reykjavik’s central heating requirements are used in many other towns in the USA, Poland, and Hungary. The program of using hot water from{ failed|| a failed} oil wells in Poland to replace coal-based district heating is being supported by the World Bank (World Bank Group 2004).
- Aquaculture and Agriculture - Thermal soils, plants and fish ponds that have geothermal energy can help increase the growth of fish and plants in moderate temperatures as well as more cold climates. One successful example could be the Oserian farm situated in Kenya (World Flowers 2005).
- Power Generation - Geothermal power generation has a capacity of more than 8000 MW and is an established technology. It is particularly popular in nations or islands which rely heavily on fossil fuels imported from abroad (World Bank Group 2004,).
Geothermal Energy Costs
The price of geothermal power generated amounts to 4.5-7 cents/hour. While this is comparable to certain fossil fuel facilities, it must be remembered that geothermal electricity generation is significant reductions in air pollution.
The size of the project along with its quality, the cost of financing, and ownership all impact the costs of the project.
Geothermal energy plants need a lot of capital, but they also have relatively low variable costs and low fuel costs.
The financing structure is usually so that the capital costs of the project will be due within 15 years. The project provides power at 5-10C/kWh.
The operating costs for the facility for in the coming 15-30 years will be covered by maintenance and operations.
Geothermal Energy has other advantages
- The air pollution could be lessen The current geothermal fields emit approximately one-sixth of the amount of carbon dioxide as a gas electricity generating power station, and emit neither nitrogen (NOx) or sulfur (SOx).
The new state-of-the art integrated cycle plants emit almost no air pollution. Each 1,000 MW of geothermal power will help offset around 1.9 million pounds noxious as well as harmful pollution in Western skies.
It will also offset about 8 billion pounds of climate changing CO2 emissions from gas power plants that are fired and many more fired coal power plants.
- Energy sources that are renewable: all forms of geothermal heat are renewable in the event that the heat exchangers extracted from the earth do not more than the heat absorbed from the reservoir. Once it has been depleted of geothermal energy, the reservoir used for electricity generation can be a long time to replenish.
Recovering the reservoir of a district heating system could take anywhere from 100 to 200 years. Recovery of a geothermal heat pump reservoir can take as long as 30 years.
- Reduce reliance on imported electricity Geothermal energy is produced locally, which reduces trade deficits. It is possible to have trade deficits cut to ensure that wealth stays in the country and help promote more healthy economies. If imported oil was substituted by domestic resources, nearly 50% of the annual U.S. trade deficit could be reduced (Green Jobs 2004).
Geothermal energy is a proven source of energy from waves that has been in use for over 100 years. But, it’s only now that we realize that it is a potential source of energy to replace and/or augment the existing renewable energy sources.
The United States has the majority of geothermal energy resources throughout the West, including [region] and. Geothermal energy is efficient, clean, and inexpensive, but this limited use seems to be its greatest drawback. Geothermal energy is only one-third of solar power that is dispersed over the Earth’s surface compared to other alternatives like solar. It has potential for improvement.
Although geothermal energy units are capable of being developed, their techniques and techniques have remained inactive. It is important to consider the benefits for alternative sources of energy while we search for them.
Five methods to tap into the{ original|| first} source of renewable energy Human power
Wind-up phone charger
Users of mobile phones who are persistent must not wander too far from the power source, or fear their battery running out. The “Reactor” iPhone case is fitted with a super-thin generator. It lets you charge your battery manually by turning the handle that’s attached to the back of its. Although this method of energy generation might not be revolutionary, it sheds light on the possibility that human power can be utilized to supply emergency power and is readily available in times of need.
Gravity-powered light
Making a product that is powered by humans can be difficult since it requires less effort to produce power. Gravity Light solves this problem by harnessing the power of gravity. To lift the weight of the sandbag, all it takes is one blast of energy. The weight gradually drops to spin a spur gear mechanism that power the LED for 20 minutes.
Human harvesting
Parasitic harvesting is the method of generating wind power from normal activities such as walking. The NPowerPEG is a tube-shaped hand-held device that is able to be attached to your backpack or belt. It generates electricity through movement with a spring, magnet or inductive coil. Although it doesn’t generate sufficient power for powerful electronics like tablets and laptops, the concept has an impressive energy efficiency and battery technology.
Flywheel kitchen appliances
Modern technology powered by humans does not rely only on the creation of electricity. Christoph Thetard’s mechanical flywheel drive RB2B powers a range of kitchen appliances. The flywheel rotates at 10,000 RPM through an engineered transmission and a mechanical power supply of 350 W. The wave power can be used to power several attachments such as a knife, slicing disk and whisk. While it’s unclear what the practicality of this gadget is however, the creator deserves praise for creating a concept that challenges the notion that all devices that are powered by humans must be mobile and powered by batteries.
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