Transcript Geothermal Energy

Geothermal Energy
Maren Hamby
Ashley Dolan
Geothermal Energy
 Geothermal
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energy: heat from the Earth
Clean, continuous, sustainable energy
Renewable because Earth's internal heat is
limitless, it is an inexhaustible source of
energy
Travels by conduction
Goal: using natural unlimited energy from the
earth
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http://lawrencemolloy.com/hotzone/wp-content/uploads/2007/12/lower-48-super-map.gif
Geothermal reservoir
 Natural
 Water
seeps into ground and is heated by
the geothermal energy
 Forms hot spring or geysers, or stays
underground in cracks or porous rocks
 Example: Old Faithful
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http://www.mrfs.net/trips/2003/Northern_
Rockies/Yellowstone_Thermal/hot_spring.jpg
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http://www.yellowstonenationalpark.org/images/
1920s-OldFaithfulGeyser-at-Sunset.jpg
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http://www.odec.ca/projects/2007/truo7j2/geo.htm
Geothermal Uses
 Electricity
production for heating and
cooling purposes
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Commercial, industrial, and residential
 Heating:
space heating and cooling, food
preparation, hot spring bathing and spas,
agriculture, aquaculture, greenhouses,
industrial processes
Geothermal Power Plants
 make
electricity
 3 types:
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Dry Steam Plants: use steam direct from
geothermal reservoirs to drive
generator turbines
• once used water condenses and is pumped back
into the ground
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Flash Steam Plants: take high pressure hot
water and convert to steam to turn generator
turbines
Geothermal Power Plants
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http://www1.eere.energy.gov/geothermal/powerplants.html
Geothermal Power Plants
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Binary Power Plants: hot water is used to heat
another liquid which is then converted to
steam to turn the generator turbines
http://www1.eere.energy.gov/geothermal/powerplants.html
Geothermal Heat Pumps
 Use
for heating and cooling
 Earth's crust temperatures are fairly
constant
 Used as a regulator that heats buildings in
the winter and cools them in the summer
Geothermal Heat Pumps
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http://www.engineer.gvsu.edu/house/images/additional/heatpump.jpg
Making a Difference
 Moving
to the US
 Direct use systems can heat 40,000
average size houses
 Cost effective
 Reliable
 Environmentally friendly
Obstacles
 Technological
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Geothermal heating systems use liquid, these
can be a refrigerant which is toxic
Finding land
Can stop producing steam
Gas leaks
Obstacles
 Political
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Expensive, but prices vary with location and
brand
Repairs expensive and difficult
Environmental Impact
 Have
almost no negative impact on the
environment
 Need large location
 Noisy, but can be controlled
 Uses less land
 Waste water used to recharge power
plants and irrigate
Environmental Impact
 Better
than fossil fuel power plants that
emit smoke, geothermal plants only emit
steam (nitrous
oxide, hydrogen sulfide, sulfur dioxide,
particulate matter, and carbon dioxide
emissions low)
 Release less than 1% of the carbon
dioxide that fossil fuels emit
 Emits 97% less acid rain than fossil fuels
Bibliography
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http://www.geo-energy.org/aboutGE/introduction.asp
http://www.ucsusa.org/clean_energy/technology_and_impacts/energ
y_technologies/how-geothermal-energy-works.html
http://www.desktopscenes.com/Scenes%20from%20Yellowstone%2
0(2003)/Old%20Faithful%20Ablaze.jpg
http://www.geo-energy.org/aboutGE/environment.asp
http://www.eia.doe.gov/kids/energyfacts/sources/renewable/geother
mal.html#Environment
http://ezinearticles.com/?Negatives-of-Using-Geothermal-For-YourHome&id=139619
http://www.clean-energyideas.com/articles/disadvantages_of_geothermal_energy.html
http://www.eia.doe.gov/kids/energyfacts/sources/renewable/geother
mal.html