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TITLE WHAT IS GEO THERMAL ENERGY? HISTORY GEO THERMAL POWER GEO THERMAL ENERGY SOURCES GENERATION OF ELECTRICITY HARMFUL EFFECTS POSITIVE ATTRIBUTES GEO THERMAL ENERGY WORLDWIDE GEO THERMAL IN NEWS BIBLIOGRAPHY

The word "geothermal" is derived from the Greek words geo (earth) and therme (heat). Energy" is defined as usable power, such as heat or electricity. Geothermal means earth heat.

Hence,Geothermal

Energy

is

energy

stored in the form of heat beneath the surface of the solid earth. From early times, people have used geothermal water that flowed freely from the earth's surface as hot springs.

Magma or very hot rock

The Romans, used geothermal water to treat various diseases as well as to heat the city of Pompeii. Native North Americans used it for cooking and medicinal purposes The Maoris of New Zealand have cooked using it for centuries.

Today, geothermal energy is utilized in three technology categories: Heating and cooling buildings via geothermal heat pumps that utilize shallow sources; Heating structures with direct-use applications; and Generating electricity through indirect use.

First experiment to produce geo-thermal power, done in Italy in 1904 by prince Ginori. Drilling rig at the European R&D site Soultzsous-Forts (F):

y y y y y y

Hot Water Reservoirs Natural Stem Reservoirs Geo pressured Reservoirs Normal Geothermal Gradient Hot Dry Rock Molten Magma

Space heating Air conditioning Industrial processes Drying Greenhouses Aquaculture Hot water Resorts and pools

Dry Steam Plants: These were the first type of plants created. They use underground steam to directly turn the turbines.

Binary Cycle Plants: This system passes moderately hot geothermal water past a liquid, usually an organic fluid, that has a lower boiling point. The resulting steam from the organic liquid drives the turbines. Flash Steam Plants: These are the most common plants. They pull high pressured hot water that reaches temperatures of 3600F or more to surface. and the resulting steam drives the turbines.

Hot Dry Rocks: The simplest models have one injection well and two production wells. Pressurized cold water is sent down the injection well where the hot rocks heat the water up. Then pressurized water of temperatures greater than 2000F is brought to the surface and passed near a liquid with a lower boiling temperature, such as an organic liquid like butane. The ensuing steam turns the turbines. Then, the cool water is again injected to be heated. US geothermal industries are making plans to commercialize this new technology.

May lead to an increase in seismic activity. Brine may increase the salinity of soil. Power plants that do not inject cooled water back into the ground may release H2S, the rotten eggs gas which may cause problems if large quantities escape because inhaling too much is fatal.

There is fear of noise pollution during the drilling of wells.

Useful minerals can be extracted from underground water. Geothermal energy is homegrown. This will create jobs, a better global trading position and less reliance on oil producing countries.

Flash and Dry Steam Power Plants emit 1000x to 2000x less carbon dioxide than fossil fuel plants, no nitrogen oxides and little SO2.
In large plants the cost is 4-8 cents per kilowatt hour. This cost is almost competitive with conventional energy sources.

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In France, heat from geothermal district heating carries the full VAT, natural gas only a reduced value.

2.

In Poland, projects are affected by not adequate mining law, many taxes, fees and royalties. These expenses are too high compared to the annual heat sales, even in the biggest plants.

3. For shallow geothermal systems, in several countries a market-driven economy exists. This is further boosted by the current oil price developments. These countries comprise Sweden, Switzerland, Germany, Austria, and to a lesser extend Norway, Netherlands, etc.

Tata Power Co Ltd and Chevron Corp's Indonesian unit are among several firms which have submitted bids for a geothermal power project in Indonesia. Tata, India's largest private-sector utility, is part of a consortium with Indonesian firm PT Supraco Energy. The bids are to build a geothermal power plant in Sorik Merapi, North Sumatra, with initial capacity of 55 megawatts (MW) gradually increasing to 200 MW.

"This is a preliminary bid, the gov -ernment will look carefully at the capabilities of the firms before deciding on the winner," said the official at the energy and mines ministry. Indonesia has launched the first phase of the programme to add 10,000 MW of generating capacity from 35 new coal-fired power plants, which are mostly still under construction.

Most of Africas geothermal resources are located in its Rift Valley, one of the geologic wonders of the world. The Rift Valley spans roughly 3,700 miles (6,000 kilometers) across East Africa and runs through Kenya, Ethiopia, Djibouti, Eritrea, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia. Its here that geologists observe firsthand how continents break apart and draw hot magma toward the surface. Scientists are studying the volcanic activity in the area for human hazard potential while power companies compete for the enormous geothermal

resources created by the magma reservoirs. Kenya has one the highest potentials for geothermal resources in East Africa. Current resource estimates by various companies and organizations range from 2,000 MWe (megawatts electric) to 7,000 MWe. For a long time, Kenya was dependent on hydro energy, said James Kiiru, Commercial Attach, Embassy of the Republic of Kenya.

The challenge is if there is no rain, the supply cant be guaranteed, so the government is looking into alternatives sources of power. , there has been keen interest by many American investors, especially in infrastructure projects, Kiiru said. Many of those investors are energy companies, including one of the largest energy companies in the United States, which he declined to name because negotiations are still underway.

Among the companies competing for geothermal resources in other areas of the Rift Valley are Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, a global manufacturer of geothermal power equipment, and Reykjavik Energy, which has developed geothermal energy projects in Iceland for decades. The two companies recently formed an alliance to jointly develop geothermal energy projects in Africa and other developing nations with an aim of capturing 50% global market share by 2014.

Geothermal power is growing rapidly across the globe, according to a new report by the Geothermal Energy Association (GEA). Geothermal Energy: International Market Update found that between 2005 and 2010 the United States retained its leadership in production with most MW installed, while Germany was the fastest growing geothermal power producer.

While there was an overall 20% growth in geothermal power on line between 2005 and 2010, seventy nations currently have projects under development, a 52% increase in just the past three years. Projects under development grew the most dramatically in two regions of the world: Europe and Africa. According to GEA ,"In 2010, global geothermal development is being driven in part by a number of regional institutions which, in addition to financing geothermal projects, are enhancing regional cooperation within an emerging renewable energy sector,"

With development of low-temperature power and enhanced geothermal technologies, the geothermal market is expanding to encompass the worlds nations.

The Geothermal Energy: International Market Update, at the Global Geothermal Showcase and Forum in Washington, D.C., reports that 24 countries increased power online by 20% since an International Geothermal Association report in 2005. With over 10,000 MW installed, geothermal power is providing electricity worldwide to over 52 million people.

The report finds that while growth among nations with geothermal power online was huge, there was also a staggering increase in the number of countries actively pursuing geothermal power projects. "The colossal growth of the international market is only a small fraction of the geothermal power potential we could be utilizing," said GEA Executive Director Karl Gawell. "Even if we assume the lowest possible projections for geothermal potential, the vast majority of countries don't fully use their geothermal resource..

In 1999 we identified 39 nations that could provide 100% of their electrical needs from geothermal, fully powering their countries with a clean, renewable and domestic source, but only nine of them have geothermal power online. The development potential here is very obviously tremendous.

The US geothermal power industry continued strong growth in 2009, according to a new report by the Geothermal Energy Association (GEA). The April 2010 US Geothermal Power Production and Development Update showed 26% growth in new projects under development in the United States in the past year, with 188 projects underway in 15 states which could produce as much as 7,875 MW of new electric power.

When completed, these projects will add over 7,000 MW of baseload power capacity; enough to provide electricity 20% of Californias total power needs, and roughly equivalent to the total power used in California from coal-fired power plants. "Geothermal power can be a critical part of the answer to global warming," according to GEA's Executive Director.

KLAMATH FALLS, Ore: A combination of hot rocks and water like those that created Yellowstone's geysers have been tapped by the city to keep the sidewalks toasty since the early 1990s. Geothermal wells in this town of 20,000 mark one of the nation's most ambitious uses of a green energy resource with a tiny carbon footprint, and could serve as a model for a still-fledgling industry that is gaining steam with $338 million in stimulus funds and

more than 100 projects nationwide. Geothermal energy is unknown in much of the country but accounts for 0.5 percent of the nation's energy production. It can be seen on a snowy day in a handful of Western towns like Klamath Falls. That's because hot rock is closer to the surface here, and comes with the water needed to bring the energy to the surface. Northern California is home to the world's largest geothermal power complex. The Geysers, 75 miles north of San Francisco, produces enough electricity for 750,000 homes.

With more than 600 geothermal wells heating houses, schools and a hospital as well as turning the turbine on a small power plant, Klamath Falls shows what everyday life could be if stimulus grants and venture capitalists turn geothermal energy from a Western curiosity to a game-changing energy resource. Until now, geothermal energy has been limited by having to find the three essentials ingredients occurring together in one place naturally: hot rock relatively close to the surface, water, and cracks in the rock that serve as a reservoir. Those limitations go away if engineers can tame a technology known as EGS, for Enhanced Geothermal Systems.

Geothermal Power Production and Development Update, September 2009 identifies 144 new geothermal projects under development in fourteen states that could represent as much as 7,100 MW of new base load power capacity. When added to the 3,100 MW of existing capacity, 10 Giga watts of geothermal power appears to be feasible.

While the report shows generally good news, it also shows a decline in projects currently listed in "phase 4," or under construction. According to GEA this was due to 4 new geothermal power projects moving to completion, but also reflects difficulty obtaining final permits and difficulty obtaining financing. The recession, as the report confirms, is having an impact on the industry, according to GEA,. "Financing is expensive and scarce, and available lenders are requiring much more work be done before they will finance projects.

An NYU Stern study says geothermal energy is the cheapest renewable energy out there, and could compete with coal with about $3.3 billion in government research funding. Geothermal energy is the cheapest form of clean energy out there, with wind energy a close second and both could become cheaper than fossil fuel-fired energy if governments will direct more research funding to them.

It calls for governments to start putting more money into geothermal and wind power research to yield faster and more dramatic improvements than money put into solar research. Geothermal energy was singled out as the cheapest renewable energy source out there, and could become competitive with coal and gas-fired power with about $3.3 billion in research and development spending, the report said.

While the NYU Stern report ranked energy technologies in terms of costs, another report in December from Stanford professor Mark Jacobson ranked technologies according to their environmental impact. His study put wind power in the number one slot, followed by solar-thermal technology and geothermal in third place.

Except for a few sporadic and half-hearted attempts Government, officially, has done practically nothing to exploit this vast reserve of FREE energy. And unlike in the sectors of wind and solar energy, no benefits or incentives have been formulated or announced to attract investment in geothermal energy and to induce private parties to explore and exploit this sector.

Given this state of affairs and the indifferent attitude of most State (local) governments to pursue geothermal sources of power, and the absence of any stand on geothermal power on the part of the Central Government, it is not surprising that on the world map India does not figure anywhere as far as geothermal power is concerned. Only private investors have, so far, shown concrete interest in promoting this geothermal power project.

The Government of Gujarat has framed a new policy and passed a government resolution (No REP-102000-502-B) aimed at formulating an incentive policy for solar photo voltaic, geothermal, waste utilization, biomass, etc.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geothermal
http://www.thehindu.com/news/internation al http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com http://www.newsdesk.org/geothermal TIDEE-TERI information digest on energy & environment Journal of scientific &industrial research Newswire magazine ISA- Indian Science Abstract