GE 1308

Energy Today and Tomorrow

Lecture 5 Geothermal Energy
Biomass Energy

Dr Sai Kishore RAVI

Assistant Professor
Editor-in-Chief, Energy Technology

23 Feb 2024
 IGCC

Recap
Source: The Conversation Source: National Geographic Society

Looking inward: Looking outward:

Energy resources from below: coal, oil, and gas Energy resources on and above: solar, wind, hydro

Everything from below the ground is unsustainable?

 Today
Energy &
GE1308 Tomorrow

Geothermal Energy
Source: Freepik, @macrovector
Renewable
Energy

Source: earthhow.com

There is a clear need to look beyond fossil fuels and nuclear energy for the future. A number of possible viable
alternative energy sources are available or are being researched. These are sometimes referred to as energy
harvesting technologies because they merely convert primary energy sources from nature (e.g., solar energy,
wind, geothermal, etc.) into other forms of energy that we can readily use (e.g., electricity, heat, biofuels, etc.).
Source: seas-at-risk.org Source: nordicenergy.org

Renewable
Energy
 Source: scholastic.com
Source: www.nordicenergy.org

Crust
Unique
Mantle
Geography
 Mount Stromboli Castle Geyser in Volcanos National Park,
(Italy) Yellowstone National Park Hawaii

Geothermal
Eruptions

Geothermal Eruptions
Spectacular displays of unharnessed geothermal energy include eruptions of lava (Mount Stromboli, Italy), water (Castle
Geyser, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming), and steam (Volcanoes National Park, Hawaii).
PHOTOGRAPH BY MATTEO LUPI, KYLE VERNON, AND DIANE JONES, MY SHOT Source: education.nationalgeographic.org
Geothermal
Energy

According to the
Geothermal Research Source: mt.gov
Council, geothermal
Energy is heat ❑ It is the thermal energy contained in the rock and fluid that fills
(thermal) derived from the fractures and pores within the rock of the earth's crust.
the earth (geo). ❑ Geothermal resources are reservoirs of hot water that exist at
different temperatures and depths below the Earth's surface
Anatomy of
Earth

Source: 10.13140/RG.2.1.2470.0888

Fe + Ni
(liquid)

Fe + Ni
Sun (solid)
Source: letstalkscience.ca
Source: cuhk.edu.hk Source: Freepik
 Energy budget of the Earth

Earth’s 174000
TW
Energy
Budget
120000 TW

Although the solar energy

flow is the most dominant
flow, it is not the only source
of energy on the Earth. 44 TW

Adapted from Energyeduction.ca

Modes of
Heat
Transfer

Source: AMIE Study Circle

Heat
Transfer

Geothermal
44 TW 17
Solar
Irradiance
174000 TW

15 oC 5500 oC

Takes 100s of millions of years

Source: Freepik
 There are two main sources of heat:
(1) Primordial Heat - residual heat leftover from Earth’s formation
(2) Radioactive Heat - heat from the decay of radioactive elements.

Earth’s
Internal Heat

Source: Institute of Geological Sciences, Uni Bern

It takes a rather long time for heat to move out of the

Source: umd.edu
• Potassium (K-40)
• Uranium (U-235, U-238)
• Thorium (Th-232)
earth. This occurs through both "convective" transport of
heat within the earth's liquid outer core and solid mantle
and slower "conductive" transport of heat through
nonconvecting boundary layers, such as the earth's plates
at the surface. As a result, much of the planet's
primordial heat, from when the earth first accreted and
developed its core, has been retained.
 Heat from the
radioactive decay
Earth’s of elements like
Uranium, Thorium
Internal Heat and Potassium in
the earth’s crust –
major source of
geothermal
energy we can
tap

Source: radioactivity.eu.com

❑ Earth's radioactive elements are primarily found in the

thin (40 km) continental crust • Potassium (K-40)
❑ Some radioactive elements can also be found in the • Uranium (U-235)
thicker (3,000 km) mantle layer, and also in the Earth's • Uranium (U-238)
core (7,000 km diameter) • Thorium (Th-232)
 Geothermal Flow 44 TW
Global Energy Consumption rate 18 TW

Geothermal
Energy

Source: freeingenergy.com
Geothermal
Hot Spots

Source: Energyeduction.ca

❑ Temperatures near the surface are actually not that hot, which means that the energy available
for human use is fairly "low-quality"
❑ Most energy applications require higher temperatures to make work in heat engines effective.
❑ If a country is situated on a hot spot, this hot spot may produce high temperature heat that can
generate electricity efficiently.
❑ These hot spots occur because of their location near tectonic plate boundaries where the crust
is thinner, and where plumes of magma may extend close to the surface
 Heat
Conduction

2nd Law of Thermodynamics

Source: phys.org

Source: cargo-wise.co.uk

The rate of ∆𝑇 = 𝑇2 − 𝑇1
Thermal
thermal gradient
conduction
 20− −10 ℃
∇𝑇 =
0.3 𝑚
Thermal =
30
0.3
Gradient = 100 ℃/𝑚

Source: omnicalculator.com
30 cm

Source: tec-science.com

Heat flow over a

Height gradient thermal gradient
(difference in (slope) analogous
height over a to water flow over
horizontal
a slanted plane
distance) affects
flow rate in with a height
hydropower gradient(slope)
Change in temperature (∆𝑇)
𝑇𝑒𝑚𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑒 𝐺𝑟𝑎𝑑𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑡 = Source: tec-science.com
Change in depth/distance (𝑑)
Thermal
Gradient

Low Heat
Transfer Rate High Heat
Transfer Rate Source: xaktly.com
Source: xaktly.com

Change in temperature (∆𝑇)

𝑇𝑒𝑚𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑒 𝐺𝑟𝑎𝑑𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑡 =
Change in depth/distance (𝑑)

The rate of heat transfer between two objects is

proportional to the temperature gradient

As the temperature difference between two

substances decreases, the rate of heat transfer
slows down. This leads to the curved graph
Source: xaktly.com
 Source: xaktly.com

Thermal
Conductivity
Aluminium Ceramic Glass

Source: thermtest.com

k = 205 W·m−1·K−1 k = 3.8 W·m−1·K−1 k = 1.1 W·m−1·K−1

𝑄 𝑘 𝐴 ∆𝑇 𝑄 𝑘 ∆𝑇 Heat flow is energy

= = per unit area per
𝑡 𝑑 𝑡𝐴 𝑑 unit time
Source: physicsclassroom.com
𝐻𝑒𝑎𝑡 𝐹𝑙𝑜𝑤 = 𝑪𝒐𝒏𝒅𝒖𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒗𝒊𝒕𝒚 × 𝑻𝒆𝒎𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒆 𝑮𝒓𝒂𝒅𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒕
In-Class Exercise
 𝑆𝑢𝑟𝑓𝑎𝑐𝑒 𝑇𝑒𝑚𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑒 = 10 ℃
= 283.15 K
Thermal conductivity
𝑇𝑒𝑚𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑒 𝑎𝑡 1000 𝑚 = 48 ℃
k = 1.5 W·m−1·K−1 = 321.15 K

∆𝑇= 38 K

𝑑= 1000 m

1.5 × 38
𝐻𝑒𝑎𝑡 𝐹𝑙𝑜𝑤 =
1000

= 0.057 𝑊 𝑚−2

= 57 𝑚𝑊 𝑚−2
 The geothermal gradient is the amount that the Earth’s temperature
Geothermal increases with depth. It indicates heat flowing from the Earth’s warm
interior to its surface.
gradient On average, the temperature increases by about 25°C for every
kilometer of depth.
Temperature

𝐻𝑒𝑎𝑡 𝐹𝑙𝑜𝑤 = 𝑪𝒐𝒏𝒅𝒖𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒗𝒊𝒕𝒚 × 𝑻𝒆𝒎𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒆 𝑮𝒓𝒂𝒅𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒕

𝐻𝑒𝑎𝑡 𝐹𝑙𝑜𝑤 = 2 × 𝟎. 𝟎𝟐𝟓 = 0.05 W/m2

Slope = 25 oC/km if k = 2
0.025 oC/m = 0.025 K/m

Depth
 10 W/m2 Source: jonasenergy.com
341 W/m2

Geothermal
0.05 – 0.07
W/m2

Source: azom.com

0.2 W/m2 Source: usda.gov

2 W/m2

Source: greentechmedia.com

Source: Freepik
 Source: Wikipedia

Geothermal flow from 1 m2 land = 0.05 W

Geothermal flow from 1200 m2 land = 60 W

Source: Freepik Typical area = 5000 square metres

You need an area of 1200 m2 to power just a 60

W lamp (provided, you are able to extract every
bit of geothermal energy from the area)
Geothermal
Hot Spots

Source: britannica.com
 Geysers in California's Yellowstone
National Park (Tectonic plates colliding)

Iceland (Tectonic plates

moving apart)
Source: geologyin.com
 Source: DOI: 10.1007/s11053-007-9028-7

Surface 4.0 km
deep

Heat Flow,
Depth and
Temperature 6 km 10 km
deep deep
Source: insidescience.org
Source: guidetoiceland.is

Source: vogue.com

Source: visitbath.co.uk
Heat Flow,
Depth and Source: byjus.com

200 oC
Temperature

Temperature

Drilling is Expensive Source: open.edu

Source: usask.ca

Drilling 8 km to get 0 oC
a temperature 0 km 8 km Depth
gradient of 25
oC/km is not Change in temperature (∆𝑇)
𝑇𝑒𝑚𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑒 𝐺𝑟𝑎𝑑𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑡 =
economically Change in depth/distance (𝑑)
worthy
 Heat Flow vs. Temperature

200 oC
HDR
(Hot Dry Rock)

Temperature
geo-pressurized reservoirs
0 oC

0 km 8 km Depth

Change in temperature (∆𝑇)

𝑇𝑒𝑚𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑒 𝐺𝑟𝑎𝑑𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑡 =
Change in depth/distance (𝑑)
Source: open.edu
 Temperature is HIGH
Thermal Gradient is LOW
Hot
Slope = 0.3 oC/km

Heat Flow vs.

Temperature Temperature
Optimal

𝐻𝑒𝑎𝑡 𝐹𝑙𝑜𝑤 = 𝑪𝒐𝒏𝒅𝒖𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒗𝒊𝒕𝒚 × 𝑻𝒆𝒎𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒆 𝑮𝒓𝒂𝒅𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒕

Cool

Slope =
25 oC/km

15 km Depth
Temperature is LOW
Thermal Gradient is HIGH
Global Geothermal
Energy Production

22.5 GW from one plant

Source: Statista
15.6 GW Globally

Source: britannica.com
 Source: mountainliving.com

Agriculture Industrial use

Source: nea.is

Bathing 28 GW for non-

electricity energy
use (2021, global)

Geothermal electricity

Source: odu.edu

Source: holtzople.com

Space heating Snow melting Source: esi-africa.com

Geothermal Electricity
Source: swisseduc.ch

In 1904 the geothermal steam was used to turn a small turbine which in turn
powered five light bulbs – the first ever demonstration of geothermal electricity
generation. In 1911 the Valle del Diavolo (Devil’s Valley) was chosen as the site of
what would remain the world’s only geothermal power station for almost half a
century.
 Working of geothermal plants – similar
to coal-fired power plants

Coal
Power
Plants

Source: britannica.com
Source: Visual Capitalist
Source: Visual Capitalist
The ranking of countries based
on the share of geothermal
energy in the overall electricity
generation of the country.

Source: emaze.com
Source: Statista
The Geysers Geothermal Field, California Source: power-technology.com

22 power plants, 350 Geothermal Wells

Power production: 0.9 – 1 GW
Capacity: 3.7 GW
Svartsengi geothermal power plant, Iceland Source: Ann Miles Blog

Blue Lagoon

apolitical.co
Steam is >180 °C
Steam >600 psi of pressure
Steam emerges at >200 km/hr

Source: www.saveonenergy.com
Water + Steam
>180 °C

Source: www.saveonenergy.com
Isobutane
Boiling point:
-11.7 °C

Combining conventional plant

with a binary cycle renders
higher efficiency

Source: www.saveonenergy.com
6 to 8 feet

100 to 400 feet Source: www.saveonenergy.com

Source: www.saveonenergy.com
Source: electricrate.com
Source: electricrate.com
VIDEO Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d5Tbsx3R2T8
 Today
Energy &
GE1308 Tomorrow

Biomass Energy
Source: Freepik, @macrovector
 Source: US DoE

Biomass Energy refers to energy extracted

from recently grown biological matter. It
is renewable (as compared with fossil fuels)
because, as it is used, new material can
be grown to replace it.

Biomass energy is a form of energy derived from organic

matter, such as wood or plant material, that has been created
through the process of photosynthesis, which converts solar
energy into chemical energy.

When the biomass is burned or otherwise converted, the stored

chemical energy is released as heat energy, making biomass
energy a combination of both solar and chemical energy.
Chemical Energy
Biomass
 Chemical potential energy is energy that is stored inside
the chemical bonds in substances. This energy can be
released when the chemical substance is involved in a
chemical reaction. It is usually, but not always, released as
heat energy.

Glucose

Source: energyeducation.ca

Methanol
Source: quizlet.com
 Source: bbcgoodfood.com

Source: docsity.com Source: frontiersin.org

 Source: javamem.com Source: Harley Davidson Forums

Energy value of a Marshmallow:

23 kilocalories = 96232 Joules (∼ 96 kJ)
Source: realclearscience.com

96 kJ is the amount of energy

that is needed to lift 96000
apples up 1 meter

The chemical energy released

by burning a marshmallow can
be three times more than an
equivalent mass of TNT
 Source: Harley Davidson Forums

in 0.000001 s

in 90 s
Source: realclearscience.com

The rate at which energy is released in the TNT reaction is much higher than the rate of energy release when
you burn a marshmallow. Power is higher in the TNT reaction compared to the marshmallow combustion.
 Chemical Energy of Biomass

Source: jre.co.jp
 Fossil fuels, including coal, oil, and gas, are formed
from the remains of ancient biomass that have
been buried and subjected to heat and pressure
over millions of years.

Coal is formed primarily from

ancient terrestrial plants and
swamps, while oil and gas
are formed from the remains
of ancient marine organisms
and algae.

Source: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/292755240
Biomass Energy –
Evolution and Global
Trends
 Source: sci.news
Source: Visual Capitalist

Biomass is the earliest form of energy resource

used by humans. Before the 1800s, bioenergy was
the only energy technology available.
Biomass has been used as food since the earliest
animals (single-celled) over a billion years ago.

Source: archaeologs.com
Source: Scienceabc.com
 This graphic shows 50% of the world's habitable
land is used for agriculture

Only 1% of habitable land is urban and built-up

More land for bioenergy means less land for food

Reference: https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2019/12/agriculture-habitable-land/
 Source: planete-energies.com

Biomass accounts for approximately 10% of the world's primary energy consumption. This includes
solid biomass (such as wood and charcoal), biogas, and liquid biofuels (such as ethanol and
biodiesel). It is important to note that the contribution of biomass to primary energy consumption
varies significantly between countries and regions, with some relying more heavily on biomass for
energy than others.
Over three billion
people worldwide use
biomass (wood,
charcoal, crop
residues, and animal
dung) and coal as
their primary source
of energy for cooking,
heating, and other
household needs
such as food
preservation.

Biomass accounts for

more than one-half of
household energy in
many developing
countries, and for as
much as 90% in
some lower-income
countries.
 Only 1.5% has access to clean cooking facilities.

Source: duke.edu

In 2019, Madagascar's energy mix was dominated by

biofuels and wastes (85%), with oil products (11%), coal
and hydro accounting for the rest of the total energy
supply. Approximately 3.8 million people die annually from
illnesses caused by household air pollution.

Cooking related air pollution is the second leading cause

Source: esi-africa.com
of disease in Madagascar.
Many people around the world rely on burning biomass for their household energy needs,
particularly in Africa, South and Central Asia, and South America.
4.1% of global deaths are
attributed to indoor air
pollution.

In this map we see death rates

from indoor air pollution across
the world. Death rates measure
the number of deaths per
100,000 people in a given
country or region.

What becomes clear is the

large differences in death rates
between countries: rates are
high in lower-income countries,
particularly across Sub-Saharan
Africa and Asia.
Photosynthesis
& Biomass
Source: wikipedia.org
 Photosynthetic Bacteria is the
reason we breath and live

Source: kenyon.edu

5 4 3 2 1 0
4.6 3.4 2.5
Time
(Billions of Origin of Anoxygenic Cyanobacteria Today
years ago) Earth Photosynthesis produces oxygen
 Animal cells have
mitochondria.
Plants have both
chloroplasts and
mitochondria.

Chloroplasts are
responsible for
Source: biologydictionary.net photosynthesis and
producing energy from
sunlight, while
mitochondria are
From an energy perspective, plants are biochemically responsible for converting
more sophisticated, as they are able to produce their that energy into a form
own energy through photosynthesis and store it for that the plant can use.
later use.
 Source: bioninja.com.au

Source: s-cool.co.uk

• Photosynthesis is not very

efficient in converting
sunlight to chemical energy.
• Less than 50% of the
spectrum of sunlight is
useful to the process.
Source: https://doi.org/10.1038/s43016-022-00530-x
• Most of the energy is lost in
the form of heat, resulting in
a low efficiency of about
0.1-2%.
 Source: eos.info

▪ Efficiency of converting sunlight into biomass varies across different plants.

▪ Corn is 1.5%, pine forest is 0.5%, and grassland is 0.02% efficient.
▪ Sugar cane is initially 8% efficient, but efficiency drops over time.

Photosynthetic Efficiency = 1.5 % Photosynthetic Efficiency = 0.5 %

Source: aces.edu
Source: education.nationalgeographic.org Source: etsy.com

Photosynthetic Efficiency = 0.02 % Photosynthetic Efficiency = 8 %

 Fertilizer production accounts for
approximately 1-2% of global energy
consumption.
While this may seem like a small
percentage, it's still a significant amount
of energy.

Using fossil fuels to produce fertilizers

and then using those fertilizers to grow
crops for biofuels can result in energy
losses and increased emissions.

Growing crops for biofuels requires land,

water, and other resources, which also
have energy and environmental costs.
It's important to carefully evaluate the
energy and environmental impacts of
each step in the process and consider
alternative approaches to achieving
Source: fao.org
sustainable energy and food production.
 ❑ Nutrients from biomass need to be returned to the soil for
sustainable production.
❑ Human waste can be processed and used as fertilizer for
sustainable agriculture.
❑ We generate a lot of organic waste every day that can be
Source: cgiar.org repurposed as fertilizer.
 Source: freepik.com

2000 TW
The total power of biomass energy created through photosynthesis is estimated to be
around 2000 terawatts globally. However, most of this biomass is not suitable for energy
production.

For example, a significant portion of the biomass is made up of single-cell cyanobacteria,

which cannot be directly used for energy production. Additionally, much of the biomass
is consumed by animals, and we only get a portion of that energy when we eat the
animals.

Furthermore, the plant biomass that is produced is often in forms that cannot be
sustainably harvested and substituted for fossil fuels. For instance, many plants are
grown for food, and using them for energy production would create competition for land
use and food production.
Therefore, while the total power of biomass energy is indeed significant, the portion that
is available for sustainable energy production is much smaller
 During combustion, the organic
Combustion molecules in the biofuel are broken
down through a chemical reaction
called oxidation. This reaction releases
energy in the form of heat and light,
which can be harnessed to produce
electricity or heat buildings.

Combustion is essentially the opposite

of photosynthesis, which is the
process by which plants convert light
energy into chemical energy to build
Light + Heat organic molecules. In combustion, the
energy stored chemical energy in the organic
released molecules is released as heat and
light.

Source: mtchs.org
Source: https://doi.org/10.1186/s13068-021-02060-3
 Estimated Renewable Energy Share of Global Electricity
Production in end-2019

Source: emsd.gov.hk
Source: msu.edu Source: phys.org Source: unl.edu

Types of biomass: fast-growing trees, crop residues,

grasses, and waste.
Source: fastmarkets.com
Examples: hybrid poplar, corn/sorghum stalks,
switchgrass/bamboo, municipal solid waste.

Fast-growing Hybrid Poplar Trees – for woody biomass Crop residues from Corn and Sorghum
Source: energy.gov Source: pellets-mill.com Source: planetaid.org

Fast-growing switchgrass Bamboo biomass Solid Waste Biomass

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1Y8GUnSTlQ
Cogeneration Plant
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rqi0lGfw2sQ
 Q&A Thank You!

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