Geothermal Energy

Geothermal energy is one of the only renewable energy sources not

dependent on the Sun. Instead, it relies on heat produced under the
surface of the Earth. Geothermal energy already has several applications
and could potentially provide a significant source of renewable power.
However, it is limited by a multitude of factors revolving around the issues
of sustainability and economics. There are two main applications of
geothermal energy, which include producing electricity at specialized power
plants, and direct-heating, which puts to direct use the temperature of water
piped under the earth’s surface.

Geothermal power plants take on several types of forms, depending on the

type of geothermal area from which they extract energy. In any case, the
plants depend on steam to power turbines and generate electricity, though
the methods of producing steam varies depending on the type of
geothermal reservoir.

Direct-heating, on the other hand, provides immediate, usable energy. This

type of energy can heat individual buildings or entire areas. It can also cool
buildings by pumping water underground where the temperature remains
relatively stable near 60 degrees Fahrenheit, and then into buildings, where
the water absorbs heat, thus helping to air condition the building. Direct
heating can also be used in fish farms, spas, and greenhouses.
Geothermal energy could potentially become a major source of renewable
power; this is because geothermal energy reduces the dependence on
foreign oil, it’s extremely reliable due to the constant source of heat
emanating from the earth, and it has almost no negative environmental
impact.

More energy could be extracted

using developing technology, which
doesn’t rely on existing hot water
and steam reservoirs. The process
involves drilling deep into the
surface of the Earth where
temperatures are hot, and then
injecting water into cracks of rock,
which is heated and then pumped
back to the surface. If this “hot dry
rock” (HDR) technology proves
effective, then more geothermal plants could operate in more locations,
since much of the Earth’s surface is underlain by hot, dry rock. Some
problems that geothermal energy faces are depletion of both water and
heat in geothermal areas. The first problem has been partially addressed
by re-injecting water into reservoirs, thus sustaining the plant’s ability to
operate. However, it has been shown that water re-injection can cause
small earthquakes, which raises the question of whether the plants should
be liable for the damages caused. Water reinjection at a geothermal power
plant can trigger earthquakes of magnitudes up to 3.9 and 3.5 on the
Richter scale.

Heat depletion of geothermal areas is more problematic than water

depletion in the long run, since it cannot be avoided. It is caused by a
natural cooling-off of the earth’s crust, and in these cases, plants would
become less and less efficient over several decades until they were
rendered useless. Other issues facing geothermal power plant are building
costs and economic competitiveness with other energy sources.
Geothermal plants can be expensive, depending on factors such as how
deep the wells must be drilled and the temperature of the water or steam.

The plants are economically competitive in the long run however, because
their fuel is free, whereas natural gas or coal plants spend up to two thirds
of their total operating costs on fuel. Another problem that adds cost to
geothermal plants is the problem of connecting to energy grids. This is a
critical issue because geothermal plants are built where geothermal
resources permit- such as geysers and areas with less-heated water. Over
time, however, the plants pay for themselves and all the necessary costs
because of low operating costs; namely, the fact that the plants energy is
free and always available.

The projected low cost therefore depends on the availability and

exploitation of existing geothermal resource Because of its reliability,
accessibility, low impact on the environment, and potential low cost,
geothermal energy is a very attractive source of renewable energy.
Expanding use of geothermal energy depends largely upon the success of
the hot dry rock technology and the simultaneous prevention of
earthquakes caused by water injection at those plants and water re-
injection at other plants. If the HDR technology proves to be viable and
safe, geothermal plants can be built in closer proximity to electricity grids,
without worrying about geothermal resources like geysers. This would
make the plants more cost effective and enable geothermal energy to
compete with other energy types.

Geothermal energy is heat within the earth. The word geothermal comes
from the Greek words geo (earth) and thermo (heat). Geothermal energy is
a renewable energy source because heat is continuously produced inside
the earth. People use geothermal heat for bathing, to heat buildings, and to
generate electricity.

Geothermal energy is the heat that comes from the sub-surface of the
earth. It is contained in the rocks and fluids beneath the earth’s crust and
can be found as far down to the earth’s hot molten rock, magma.
To produce power from geothermal energy, wells are dug a mile deep into
underground reservoirs to access the steam and hot water there, which can
then be used to drive turbines connected to electricity generators. There
are three types of geothermal power plants; dry steam, flash and binary.

Dry steam is the oldest form of geothermal technology and takes steam out
of the ground and uses it to directly drive a turbine. Flash plants use high-
pressure hot water into cool, low-pressure water whilst binary plants pass
hot water through a secondary liquid with a lower boiling point, which turns
to vapour to drive the turbine.

It is a “carbon-free, renewable, sustainable form of energy that provides a

continuous, uninterrupted supply of heat that can be used to heat homes
and office buildings and to generate electricity.” Geothermal energy only
produces one-sixth of the CO2 produced by a natural gas plant and is not
an intermittent source of energy like wind or solar. Its potential
production could reach at least 35GW and as high as 2TW.

However, there are some drawbacks to the energy source. Despite low
CO2 production geothermal has been associated with other emissions like
sulphur dioxide and hydrogen sulphide. Similar to fracking (Fracking is
the process of drilling down into the earth before a high-pressure water
mixture is directed at the rock to release the gas inside. Water, sand and
chemicals are injected into the rock at high pressure which allows the gas
to flow out to the head of the well.), geothermal power plants have been the
cause of mini tremors in the area they operate in and also has a high initial
cost to build. It is also described as “the most location-specific energy
source known to man” due to its activity being along the tectonic plates of
the earth’s crust.

A typical geothermal power plant has a power output around 30-50 MW

compared to several GW from conventional oil- or coal-fired plants.
Therefore, between 20-33 geothermal stations are needed to replace a 1
GW conventional power station. However, once installed, geothermal
operating costs are low.

Electricity generation using steam from geothermal fields is essentially the

same as in fossil-fuel and nuclear power plants, with various modifications
to suit the enthalpy of the field. In high-enthalpy fields, the reservoir
contains large volumes of superheated water at pressures up to 30 times
atmospheric pressure, similar to that used in a conventional thermal power
plant. When the fluid flashes to vapour the steam escapes at speeds up to
300 m/s (comparable with a jet engine at full throttle) and is suitable for
electricity generation using the simplest turbines from which steam is
vented to the atmosphere. The efficiency can be further increased if the
steam is condensed behind the turbine as this increases the pressure
gradient and so increases the speed of the steam. The 'spent' water will still
be very hot, and can be re-injected into the geothermal aquifer system to
maintain the volume and pressure of the geothermal fluid.

Lower enthalpy fields produce fluid that flashes to steam close to the well-
head or within the plant itself at commensurately lower pressures and
speeds, thereby reducing power output and efficiency. To maintain
efficiency requires more complex turbines and heat-management schemes.
At still lower enthalpy, conventional steam turbines become less efficient.
To increase the contribution of geothermal energy to electrical power
supplies, development needs to focus along two lines. One option is
developing lower temperature fields. Instead of using steam to drive
turbines, hot water vaporizes a more volatile fluid, typically a light
hydrocarbon. The other aims at harnessing the energy of fields in which
fluids are at very high temperatures and pressures, including HDR fields.
However, drilling technology has a depth limit, due to decreasing strength
of the drill stem and decomposition of lubricants for the drill's cutting bit at
very high temperatures.
1. Hot dry rocks: Power plants
using dry steam systems
were the first type of
geothermal power
generation plants built.
They use the steam from
the geothermal reservoir as
it comes from wells, and
route it directly through
turbine/generator units to produce electricity.

2. Hot water geothermal reservoirs are the most common type. In a

liquid-dominated reservoir, the hot water has not vaporized into
steam because the reservoir is saturated with water and is under
pressure. To generate electricity, the hot water is piped from
geothermal wells to one or more separators where the pressure is
lowered and the water flashes into steam. The steam then propels a
turbine generator to produce electricity.

3. A binary cycle power plant is used when the water in a hot water
reservoir is not hot enough to flash into steam. Instead, the lower-
temperature hot water is used to heat a fluid that expands when
warmed. The turbine is powered from the expanded, pressurized
fluid. Afterwards, the fluid is cooled and recycled to be heated over
and over again.