ENERGY FROM THE VOLCANO: MAGMA POWER

Our country is a home to more than a hundred volcanoes, energy has been tapped from the depths of the Earth.
The Philippines ranks second in the world’s production of geothermal energy. According to the Department of Energy,
14.4% of the country’s total power of generation is produced from the geothermal energy.

What is geothermal energy?

Geothermal energy is a form of renewable energy produced by heat from the earth. It is considerably safer than most
other energy sources. Unlike fossil fuel plants, geothermal power does not produce greenhouse gases (GHG) that are
harmful to the environment.

Geothermal energy is generated in two ways: geothermal plants and geothermal heat pumps. They differ in depth of
heat source to produce energy.

People can capture geothermal energy through:

 Geothermal power plants, which use heat from deep inside the Earth to generate steam to make electricity.
 Geothermal heat pumps, which tap into heat close to the Earth's surface to heat water or provide heat for
buildings.

In the Philippines, geothermal power plants are used to generate electricity in Tiwi (Albay), Kidapawan (North
Cotabato), Calaca (Laguna), Tongonan (Leyte), Bago City (Negros Occidental), Valencia (Negros Oriental), and Bacon
(Sorsogon).
 The Geothermal Power Plant
Power plants are built in an area that has a lot of hot springs, geysers, or volcanic activity, because these are
places where the Earth is particularly hot just below the surface.

The following steps are followed to generate electricity in a geothermal power plant:

1. Hot water is pumped from deep underground through a well under high pressure.
2. When the water reaches the surface, the pressure is dropped, which causes the water to turn into steam.
3. The steam spins a turbine, which is connected to a generator that produces electricity.
4. The steam cools off in a cooling tower and condenses back to water.
5. The cooled water is pumped back into the Earth to begin the process again.
 Advantages and Disadvantages of Using Geothermal Energy

Geothermal energy advantages include: Geothermal energy disadvantages include:

 Environmentally friendly – Limited pollution, the  Potential emissions
carbon footprint of geothermal power is small.  Surface Instability
 Source of renewable energy  High cost for electricity
 Amount and Availability  High up-front costs for heating and cooling
 Stable resource – Geothermal energy is constant systems
unlike solar or wind energy.  Location Specific
 Great for Heating/Cooling  Distribution costs
 No fuel used  Sustainability questions
 Small land footprint  Cost of Powering the Pump
 Money-based factors  May Run Out of Steam
The Geothermal Heat Pump

1. Water or a refrigerant moves through a loop of pipes.

2. When the weather is cold, the water or refrigerant heats up as it travels through the part of the loop that's
buried underground.
3. Once it gets back above ground, the warmed water or refrigerant transfers heat into the building.
4. The water or refrigerant cools down after its heat is transferred. It is pumped back underground where it heats
up once more, starting the process again.
5. On a hot day, the system can run in reverse. The water or refrigerant cools the building and then is pumped
underground where extra heat is transferred to the ground around the pipes.