Geothermal Basics

Geothermal resources are hot water reservoirs that exist at various temperatures and depths beneath the surface of the earth. You can drill wells of more than one mile into the groundwater reservoir to carry water vapor and very hot water to the surface for a variety of uses including power generation, direct use, heating and cooling. In the US, most geothermal reservoirs are in the western state.

Renewable - With proper reservoir management, the energy extraction rate can be balanced with the natural heat supply rate of the reservoir

The basic load - geothermal power plant continues to operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, regardless of the weather.

Compact - geothermal power plants are compact and require less land per square kilometer (404 square meters) of land (3642 square meters), wind (1335 square meters), or photovoltaic central station (3237 square meters) . *

Clean - The modern closed-loop geothermal power plant does not emit greenhouse gases, the life cycle greenhouse gas emissions (50 g CO 2 eq / kWhe) is 4 times higher than that of solar power generation, 6 to 20 times lower than natural gas . Compared to most conventional power generation technologies, geothermal power plants consume less water on average on their lifetime energy output. **

The Bureau of Geothermal Technology will accelerate the adoption of recent hydrothermal and cryogenic temperatures, and by pursuing EGS boldly by creating a commercial path to large-scale renewable systems, this clean domestic natural resource We promise to use it to generate electricity.

The US Department of Energy's portfolio continues to explore new technologies in these areas to accelerate adoption of geothermal energy in the United States.

** Argonne National Laboratory Life Cycle Analysis Results of the Geothermal System and Comparison with Other Power Systems, August 2010, Figure 16 on page 43

Argonne National Laboratory. Water is used for the development and operation of geothermal power plants; Table 4-3 on page 26. January 2011

Geothermal energy basically needs to utilize the heat of the surface - from a shallow backyard to a deep well. Experts said the geothermal energy industry will be significantly upgraded over the next few years after the global energy sector has gradually established its position. Scientists are convinced that using geothermal energy for power generation will make a big contribution to protecting the environment from carbon emissions. The statistics that explain the large-scale dissemination of the geothermal energy market are as follows.

Geothermal energy is the heat inside the earth. The word geothermal comes from Greek earth (earth) and heat (heat). Geothermal energy is renewable energy because heat is constantly generated in the earth. People bathe using geothermal heat, heat buildings, and generate electricity. Scientists have discovered that the inner core of the earth is about 10,800 degrees Fahrenheit as hot as the surface of the sun. The temperature range of the mantle is about 392 ° F above the upper crust to about 7,230 ° F of the core boundary.

Geothermal energy below the surface of the earth or heat can be used for electricity or heat. Geothermal heat pumps that heat and cool buildings are effective in all fields. However, geothermal power plants need more active geothermal resources, mainly in the United States.