SCIENCE

IX
GEOTHERMAL ENERGY
WHAT IS GEOTHERMAL ENERGY?
IT IS THE NATURAL HEAT PRODUCED
INSIDE THE EARTH.THE WORD
“GEOTHERMAL”
COMES FROM THE GREEK
WORDS “GEO”, MEANING
EARTH, AND “THERME”,
MEANING HEAT.
 HISTORY OF
GEOTHERMAL ENERGY
AND DID YOU KNOW’s
 -THEFIRST GEOTHERMAL
POWER PLANT WAS BUILT IN
LARDELLO, ITALY IN 1904.
 -THE OLDEST KNOWN SPA IN
CHINA IS A STONE POOL AT THE
LISAN MOUNTAIN WHICH WAS
BUILT DURING THE QIN DYNASTY
IN THE 3RD CENTURY.
 IN 1807, JOHN COLTER TOOK AN
ADVENTUROUS AND DANGEROUS
TREK ALONE AND BECAME THE
FIRST EURO-AMERICAN TO REACH
YELLOWSTONE LAKE WHERE HE
WITNESSED SOME OF THE HOT
SPRINGS NOW KNOWN AS THE
COLTER’S HELL.
John Colter Yellow Lake
 Did you
know?
IN 1847, A STREAMING VALLEY
NORTH OF MODERN DAY OF SAN
FRANCISCO WAS DISCOVERED IT IS
NOW POPULARLY KNOWN AS “THE
GEYSERS” AND IS CURRENTLY THE
LARGEST GEOTHERMAL
PRODUCTION PLANT IN OPERATION.
 HARNESSING GEOTHERMAL ENERGY

ACCORDING TO THE INTERNATIONAL GEOTHERMAL

ASSOCIATION, ABOUT 10,715 MEGAWATTS (Mw) OF
GEOTHERMAL POWER IN 24 COUNTRIES IS ONLINE
WHICH IS EXPECTED TO GENERATE 67, 246 GW IN
2010.
THE SECOND LARGEST GROUP OF GEOTHERMAL
POWER PLANTS IN THE WORLD IS LOCATED IN THE
PHILIPPINES WITH 1.904 Mw OF CAPACITY ONLINE.
ABOUT 27% OF THE PHILIPPINE ELECTRICITY
GENERATION CAN BE ACCOUNTED TO GEOTHERMAL
POWER PLANTS.
THREE MAIN ELEMENTS OF
GEOTHERMAL SYSTEM

 HEAT SOURCE
 RESERVOIR
 FLUID
A HEAT SOURCE CAN BE EITHER A VERY HIGH
TEMPERATURE MAGMATIC INTRUSION THAT HAS
REACHED A SHALLOW DEPTH OF 5-10 KM OR
AS CERTAIN LOW-TEMPERATURE SYSTEM, THE
EARTH’S NORMAL TEMPERATURE WHICH AS WE
UNDERSTAND INCREASES WITH DEPTH.
 THE RESERVOIR IS A VOLUME OF HOT
PERMEABLE ROCKS FROM WHICH THE
CIRCULATING FLUIDS EXTRACT HEAT. THIS
COMPONENT IS GENERALLY BELOW A BLANKET
OF IMPERMEABLE ROCKS AND CONNECTED TO A
RECHARGE AREA THROUGH WHICH THE
METEORIC WATERS CAN REPLACE THE FLUIDS
THAT ESCAPE FROM THE RESERVOIR THROUGH
SPRINGS OR BOREHOLES
 THE GEOTHERMAL FLUID (WATER) IS THE
CARRIER THAT TRANSFER THE HEAT. IT
OFTEN CARRIES WITH IT OTHER CHEMICALS
AND GAS COMPOUNDS SUCH A CARBON
DIOXIDE, AND HYDROGEN SULFIDE
WHAT IS A GEOTHERMAL POWER PLANT AND
HOW DOES IT OPERATE?

IT IS LIKE A REGULAR POWER PLANT

EXCEPT THAT NO FUEL IS BURNED TO HEAT
WATER INTO STEAM. THE STEAM IN A
GEOTHERMAL POWER PLANT IS HEATED BY
THE EARTH.
THREE DIFFERENT
TYPES OF
GEOTHERMAL
POWER PLANTS
DRY STEAM POWER PLANT

– WHEN A GEOTHERMAL POWER PLANT

USES
HYDROTHERMAL FLUIDS SUCH AS STEAM IN
THE SAME FORM AS IT COMES FROM THE
GROUND.
DRY STEAM POWER PLANT
 FLASH STEAM POWER PLANT

– WATER IS PUMPED FROM THE RESERVOIR

UNDER HIGH PRESSURE. THE PRESSURE
KEEPS THE WATER IN ITS LIQUID STATE
DESPITE THE BOILING POINT TEMPERATURE
OF THE FLUID.
FLASH STEAM POWER
PLANT
 BINARY CYCLE POWER PLANT

THIS TYPE OPERATES DIFFERENTLY

FROM DRY STEAM AND FLASH STEAM
PLANTS AS THIS TYPE IT DOES NOT USE
WATER OR STEAM TO TURN THE TURBINE
BLADES FOR POWER GENERATION
BINARY CYCLE POWER PLANT
ADVANTAGES OF
ADVANTAGES OF
GEOTHERMAL
GEOTHERMAL
ENERGY
ENERGY
 ECO FRIENDLY

WHEN A POWER STATION

HARNESSES GEOTHERMAL
POWER IN CORRECT MANNER,
THEY DO NOT PRODUCE BY
PRODUCTS WHICH ARE HARMFUL
TO THE ENVIRONMENT.
HIGH RELIABILITY

GEOTHERMAL POWER
PLANTS ARE DESIGNED TO
OPERATE 24 HOURS A DAY
THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE
YEAR.
FLEXIBILITY
 DEPENDING ON THE AMOUNT OF
NEEDED ELECTRICAL ENERGY,
GEOTHERMAL POWER PLANTS CAN BE
MODIFIED WITH ADDITIONAL UNITS
INSTALLED AREA.
MINIMUM LAND SPACE

THE REQUIRED LAND FOR

BUILDING GEOTHERMAL POWER
PLANTS IS SMALLER PER
MEGAWATT WHEN COMPARED TO
OTHER TYPES OF POWER PLANTS.
COST EFFECTIVE
SINCE GEOTHERMAL ENERGY CAN BE
EXTRACTED LOCALLY, THE GOVERNMENT
NEED NOT TO IMPORT FUEL FOR
GEOTHERMAL PLANTS HENCE THE
ECONOMIC BENEFITS REMAIN IN THE
REGION WHERE THE POWER PLANTS ARE
BUILT AND STOCKHOLDERS DO NOT
EXPERIENCE FUEL PRICE SHOCKS IN ITS
OPERATION.
 HELPS DEVELOPING
COUNTRIES GROW

WITH LOW FINANCIAL REQUIREMENTS

NEEEDED TO OPERATE GEOTHERMAL POWER
PLANTS, PROJECTS RELATED TO THIS
TECHNOLOGY CAN BE EASILY EXTENDED TO
DEVELOPING COUNTRIES IN ORDER FOR
THEM TO UPLIFT THEIR WAY OF LIVING
THROUGH DISTRIBUTION OF ELECTRICITY
AND OTHER TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCES
THAT CAN COME WITH IT.
DISADVANTAGE
S OF
GEOTHERMAL
ENERGY
 LIMITED
ACCESSIBILITY
SINCE NATURALLY
OCCURING VENTS ARE NOT
WIDELY AVAILABLE, MAN
CANNOT JUST BUILD A
GEOTHERMAL POWER PLANT
IN SOME VACANT LAND PLOT
IN ALL REGIONS OF EARTH.
 FINANCIAL
CONSTRAINT
 INSTALLATION COST OF STEAM POWER
PLANT IS QUITE HIGH AND THERE IS NO
GUARANTEEE THAT THE AMOUNT OF
ENERGY TO BE HARNESSED COULD REALLY
JUSTIFY THE CAPITAL AND EXPENDITURE
AND OPERATION COSTS.
 POSSIBLE
POLLUTION
PROCESSES LIKE DRILLING ON EARTH’S
MAY RELEASE SOME POISONOUS GAS
AND MINERALS WHICH COULD POSE
HARM TO THE ENVIRONMENT.
 End of
our
presentation
Prepared by :

Trixia lauren Santiago

Miara jem Manalang

Science Teacher:
Mrs. Charo S. David