Introduction to Alternative

Energies
Unit 6 – Geothermal

1
After completing this unit you will…
• Be able to explain what geothermal energy is
and where it comes from
• Know ways to use geothermal energy and
some different applications
• Be able to determine the energy savings and
other benefits of using geothermal heat

2
• What is
geothermal energy
and where does it
come from

3
Geothermal
The word geothermal comes from the Greek
words
• Geo which means earth
• Therme which means heat

Geothermal is heat from the Earth

4
• Geothermal energy is generated in the earth's
core, about 4000 miles below the surface
• Temperatures hotter than the
sun's surface are
continuously produced inside
the earth by the slow decay
of radioactive particles,
A process that happens in all rocks
• The earth has a number of
different layers

5
Layers of the Earth
• Solid inner core
1600 miles in diameter,
made of iron
• Liquid outer core
1400 miles thick, made
of very hot melted
rock, called magma
• Mantle
1800 miles thick, made
of magma and rock
6
Layers of the Earth
• The crust is the
outermost layer
The land that forms
the continents and
ocean floors
• It can be three to five
miles thick under the
oceans
• 15 to 35 miles thick
on the continents
7
Solar Radiation
• As we have previously learned, there is also a
tremendous amount of energy received from
the sun
• The following slide shows “Earth’s Energy
Budget”, the amount of solar radiation
absorbed and reflected by Earth
• You will note half of the solar radiation is
absorbed by Earth’s surface and stored in the
ground

8
Solar Radiation

http://asd-www.larc.nasa.gov/SCOOL/energy_budget.html
9
• Between the energy from
the core and stored solar
radiation, the ground stays
at a relatively constant
temperature (50° to 55° F)
• Geothermal energy is a
renewable energy source
because the heat is
continuously produced
both inside the earth and
solar radiation
10
• How can we use
geothermal energy
and what are
some applications

11
Geothermal Energy Applications
There are two main ways that geothermal
energy can be used
1. The energy from the earth’s core creates
geysers (steam) which can be used to run
electricity generators, geothermal power
plants
2. The stored energy in the earth’s crust can be
used as a heat source (winter) and a heat
sink (summer), geothermal units or ground
source heat pumps
12
Geothermal Power Plants
• Wells, over one mile deep, are drilled into
underground reservoirs tapping hot water and
steam sources
• The hot water and steam are used to run
various electricity generators
There are three main types of power plants
– Dry steam plants
– Flash steam plants
– Binary-cycle plants

13
Dry Steam Plants
• Use hydrothermal fluids that are primarily
steam
• The steam goes
directly to a
turbine, which
drives a
generator that
produces
electricity

14
• The steam eliminates the need to burn
fossil fuels to run the turbine
• Also eliminating the need to transport
and store fuels
• This is the oldest type of geothermal
power plant. It was first used at
Lardarello in Italy in 1904, and is still
very effective
• These plants emit only excess steam and
very minor amounts of gases

15
• The Geysers Geothermal area, north of San
Francisco, California, is the world's largest dry-
steam geothermal steam field
• Power
production at
the Geysers
reached peak
production in
1987, at that
time serving
1.8 million
people
From US Department of Energy, Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
http://www1.eere.energy.gov/geothermal/geysers.html
16
Flash Steam Plants
• Hydrothermal fluids above 360°F (182°C) can
be used in flash plants to make electricity

17
• Fluid is sprayed into a tank held at a much
lower pressure than the fluid, causing some of
the fluid to rapidly vaporize, or "flash”
• The vapor then drives a turbine, which drives
a generator
• If any liquid remains
in the tank, it can be
flashed again in a
second tank to
extract even more
energy
18
Binary-cycle Plants
• Most geothermal areas contain moderate-
temperature water (below 400°F)
• Energy is extracted from these fluids in binary-
cycle power plants
• Hot geothermal fluid and a secondary (hence,
"binary") fluid with a much lower boiling point
than water pass through a heat exchanger

19
• Heat from the geothermal fluid causes the
secondary fluid to flash to vapor, which then
drives the turbines

20
• Because this is a closed-loop system, virtually
nothing is emitted to the atmosphere
• Moderate-temperature water is by far the
more common geothermal resource, and
most geothermal
power plants in
the future will be
binary-cycle
plants

http://www.americansforamericanenergy.org/geothermal.aspx
21
Geothermal Units
• Geothermal Units are ground
source heat pumps (GSHP)
• They take advantage of the
consistent (50° to 55° F) ground
temperature using a fluid to
exchange heat back and forth
between a residence and the
ground

These “heat pumps” can cool

during the summer and heat
during the winter
22
The following diagram shows Geothermal
Cooling in the Summer

23
The following diagram shows Geothermal
Heating in the Winter

24
• Geothermal units use a fluid flowing through
an underground coil system
• The coil system uses the constant 50 to 55
degree ground temperature to either absorb
or reject heat
• The special heat-exchanging coil
is a “tube-within-a-tube” that
allows the fluid to exchange
heat with the ground without
physically coming into contact

25
• Unlike conventional systems, which require
several components, the Geothermal Units
consists of a single indoor cabinet
• Connected to the “indoor cabinet” is the
underground line system
• The main types of line systems are one of
three different closed loop systems
1. Horizontal
2. Vertical
3. Pond/lake
• Or an open loop system that uses water
directly from wells or pond/lakes
26
 Horizontal
• More commonly used and cost effective in
residential, using trenches that are four to six
feet deep with two pipes placed side by side
or one above the other
• Another method is
looping the pipe
allowing a greater
length of pipe in a
shorter trench reducing
installation cost
27
 Vertical
• Approximately 4 inch diameter holes are
drilled 100 to 400 feet deep approximately 20
feet apart
• In the holes go two pipes
connected at the bottom with
a U-bend to form a loop
• The vertical loops are
connected with horizontal
pipe

28
• Vertical loop systems are commonly used
more for industrial and commercial type
buildings where lack of excess of land is
prohibitive for horizontal trenches
• Vertical loops
are also used
where existing
landscape may
prohibit the
installation of
trenches
29
 Pond/Lake
• If the site has an adequate water body, this
may be the lowest cost option
• A supply line pipe is run underground from
the building to the water and coiled into
circles at least eight feet under the surface to
prevent freezing

30
 Open Loop System
• Uses wells or lake/pond water as the heat
exchange fluid, directly circulating it through
the geothermal unit
• After the water is circulated through the unit;
it is retuned to the ground to recharge the
wells or lake/pond
• Must have an adequate
supply of relatively clean
water and comply with all
local codes and regulations
31
• How would you
determine the
energy savings
and other benefits
of using
Geothermal heat
pumps

32
Energy Savings with Heat Pumps
• Geothermal Heat Pumps use 25% to 50% less
electricity than conventional heating and
cooling systems
• According to the EPA, heat pumps can reduce
energy consumption, and corresponding
emissions
– Up to 44% compared to air-source heat pumps
– And up to 72% compared to electric resistance
heating with standard air-conditioning
equipment 33
Efficiency of Geothermal Heat Pumps
• The heating efficiency of heat pumps is
indicated by their coefficient of
performance (COP)
• The cooling efficiency is indicated by the
Energy Efficiency Ratio (EER)

Recommended minimums for systems

are a COP of 2.8 and an EER of 13

34
Coefficient of Performance – COP
The ratio between useful energy acquired and
energy applied can be expressed as:

COP = Eu / Ea
Where:
COP = coefficient of performance
Eu = useful energy acquired (Btu)
Ea = energy applied (Btu)

35
• COP can be used to define both cooling
efficiency or heating efficiency
– Cooling is the ratio of the rate of heat removal to
the rate of energy input to the compressor
– Heating is the ratio of rate of heat delivered to the
rate of energy input to the compressor

• For purposes of comparison, the higher the

COP the more efficient the system
• COP can be treated as an efficiency where
COP of 2.00 = 200% efficient
36
Energy Efficiency Ratio – EER
• Generally used to define the cooling
efficiency of air-conditioning and heat
pump systems
• The ratio of heat removed in Btu/h to
the total input rate of electric energy
applied in watt hour, and determined by
the following:

EER = COP x 3.412

37
Compared to other heating/cooling sources
• Residences in our area use 45,000 to 85,000
BTUs per hour on a very cold day
• On the low side (45,000 BTU), this is just over
a million BTUs per day
• In order to compare costs of various systems
you must look at…
1. The units of the energy sources required
2. The cost per unit
3. The efficiency or COP of the system

38
Comparing the common heating/cooling
systems
Cost/unit of Cost/million
Heating/Cooling System
Energy Source Btu of Heat
Natural gas furnace (95% efficient)
$13.65/MCF $14.09
1000 ft3 (1 MCF) = 1,020,000 Btu
Liquid Propane furnace (95% efficient)
$2.42/gal $27.89
one gallon = 91,333 Btu
Electric Heat
$0.108/kWh $31.65
1 kWh = 3412 Btu
2.8 COP Geothermal Heat Pump
$0.108/kWh $11.30
1 kWh = 9554 Btu
4.2 COP Geothermal Heat Pump
$0.108/kWh $ 7.54
1 kWh = 14,330 Btu

39
Economics of Geothermal Heat Pumps
• Geothermal systems typically have a higher
initial cost compared to conventional
heating/cooling systems
• On average, a geothermal heat pump system
costs roughly $7,500 for a 3-ton unit (a typical
residential size)
• In comparison, other conventional systems
cost about $4,000

40
• Although initially more expensive to install
than conventional systems, geothermal
systems deliver more energy per unit
consumed than the conventional systems
• Because of higher efficiencies, they are less
expensive to operate and maintain typically
saving 30% to 60% in energy costs
• Depending on the climate and ground
characteristics, the initial investment can be
recouped in two to ten years

41
Other Benefits of Heat Pumps
• Give great design flexibility
• The systems are smaller than conventional
HVAC systems, stored inside, and of simple
design with few moving parts
• Unlike conventional heating systems,
geothermal systems do not have any
combustion, reducing pollution and global
warming

42
Allows for design flexibility
• Can be installed in both new
and retrofit situations
• The hardware requires less
space than that needed by
conventional HVAC systems
• Also provides excellent
"zone" space conditioning,
allowing separate
temperature control of
different rooms
43
No outdoor compressors
• Not susceptible to the elements or vandalism
• Components are easily accessible increasing
the convenience of routine maintenance
• Because they have no outside condensing
units like air conditioners, there's no concern
about noise outside the home
• There is zero noise pollution from geothermal
systems

44
Relatively few moving parts
• There are very few moving parts
and because the unit is housed
inside, away from the elements,
these units are very reliable and
require minimal service
• The underground piping often
carries warranties of 25–50
years, and the heat pumps often
last 20 years or more

45
No pollution or addition to Global Warming
• Because geothermal systems do not burn
fossil fuels to generate heat, there are zero
emissions from the unit itself
• Today there are over one million geothermal
units installed in the U.S. which equals…
– The reduction of nearly 40 trillion
BTUs of fossil fuels
– The elimination of 5.8 million
metric tons of CO2
– Taking 1.3 million cars off the road
46
Work Cited
http://www.eia.doe.gov/kids/energyfacts/sources/renewable/geothermal.html#InEarth

http://www1.eere.energy.gov/geothermal/

http://www.americansforamericanenergy.org/geothermal.aspx

47