Transcript James Peake, Kurtis Assad Donald Cameron

James Peake, Donald
Cameron, Kurtis Assad
Geothermal Energy
Geo-Earth
Thermal-Of/related to heat
Energy harnessing earth’s heat for energy
How Geothermal Energy Works
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Holes are drilled deep into the earth and
pipes are inserted.
Seismic activity and the movement of
magma breaks up the rock covering,
allowing water to circulate.
How Geothermal Energy Works
cont'd
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One pipe pumps cold water onto the hot
rocks and magma, creating steam.
A second pipe evacuates the steam to
rotate a turbine which activates the
generator.
The turbine creates energy which can be
used for many different things
Household Uses
•During the summer, pipes absorb heat from the
house to lower the house temperature.
•During the winter, the pipes take the heat from
the circulating water and use it to heat the
house.
•Horizontal and vertical loop pipe systems are
most common amongst households.
Where It Is Found
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The most feasible locations are near
areas with young volcanoes and
earthquake activity.
These locations are called “Hot Spots”
The Pacific Rim is known for its Hot
Spots, and is often used for geothermal
energy.
Where is it Found cont'd
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There is 8900 Megawatts(mW) of
geothermal capacity in 24 countries,
enough to power 12 million average
homes in the U.S.
Out of the 3000 mW made in 8 states,
80% of it is made in California,
approximately 2400 mW of geothermal
energy is produced by more than 40
plants
Where it is Found cont'd
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Within ten kilometers of the earth's
surface, there is approximately 50,000
times more geothermal energy than all of
the oil and natural gas resources in the
world.
The Costs
Such as
Digging
Building
Maintaining
General costs
Industrial:(Picture on the left)
$3400 per kilowatt to install
Operating and maintenance costs $0.01 to $0.03 per
kWh
Residential: (Picture on the right)
$5,000 to $9,000 per ton of cooling/heating capacity
Drilling
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Accounts for over half the costs
$10 million
20% failure rate
Issues
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Harvesting Geothermal has
consequences, including causing
earthquakes, harming the environment,
and releasing toxic gas
Extracting Geothermal can cause
earthquakes
Earthquakes are not large enough to cause
serious damage.
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Extracting geothermal energy can also
release toxic gases (H2S)
Toxic gases that are also bad for the
environment
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Extracting Geothermal energy also shifts
the terrain around the site of extraction.
This can lead to land sinks and alter
drainage patterns.
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The fluids that come out of the
geothermal plants are toxic.
These fluids can infect waterways
damaging wildlife.
In conclusion geothermal has many negative
impacts, as well as positive ones.
Geothermal in Thunder Bay?
Geothermal is good in “hot spots” such as places near the
edge of a tectonic plate.
Areas are prone to have volcanic activity,
Best places for geothermal.
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Thunder Bay is the opposite.
Shield region
Geothermal harder to reach.
Residential better option
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Residential Geothermal can work in any
home (Even with a small amount of
property)
Eliminates need for natural gas and oil
heating
Conclusion
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Easy to extract from sites.
Comparably inexpensive.
Easy to install (In the home)
Low Pollutants
Runs 24/7