Geothermal power products

Summary

There are mainly two forms of energy that we use namely the renewable sources and the non renewable sources. Both the forms have their advantages and disadvantages. However on comparison one can easily judge that the renewable sources are better than their counterparts.

Renewable v/s non renewable sources

The various differences between both the forms are as follows:

1) The renewable sources can be used again and again whereas the non renewable can be used only once.
2) The renewable sources are abundant in nature whereas the latter has limited supply.
3) Upon usage no harmful pollutants are emitted in the environment by the renewable sources whereas the non renewable sources emit harmful pollutants in the air.
4) The renewable sources pose no danger or threat to the atmosphere whereas the non renewable sources are dangerous and responsible for greenhouse effect and acid rains also.
5) Examples of renewable sources are solar energy, wind energy, hydel energy, tidal energy, biomass etc. the example of non renewable sources are coal, petrol, diesel.

geothermal power

Geo means earth and thermal means heat or power. The earth contains enormous amounts of heat which can be used to meet our energy requirements. `

Uses of geothermal power

1) Air warmer

The core of the earth is very warm at a constant temperature of about fifty five degrees Celsius. With the help of deep wells that are dug in the earth’s surface a liquid is pumped through the pipes to absorb the heat generated by the earth. Then this liquid is passed through the heat exchanger to absorb the heat and make the temperature of room warmer.

2) Aquaculture

Because of the heat the water bodies remain warmer near the beds and as a result the temperature remains warm. As a result fishes, alligators and other aquatic animals are able to survive under those conditions where they normally would have died.

3) Source of electricity

Electricity can also be produced with the help of geothermal power. The heat from underground water or hot reservoirs is used to run an electric generator to produce electricity. In this way we can easily produce electricity according to our requirements and that too at nominal costs.

Drawbacks of geothermal power

It is true that though this source has a lot of potential and can be used to solve our electricity problems but due to its limitations this is not that simple. The various limitations are:

1) It is not viable to depend completely on it for bigger areas where energy requirements are huge.
2) Another point of concern is that the heavy usage of magma can be dangerous in the future.
3) Thee initial set up costs can be high thus the benefits will accrue only in the long run.
4) The best areas where this power can be harnessed lies near the areas of high volcanic activity thus not all geographical locations have access to it.

Though there are certain drawbacks but we should see the brighter side and harness this power resource.

Geothermal power

Geothermal power roots from the Greek word ‘geo’ meaning earth and ‘thermos’ meaning heat. It is the power which is extracted from the heat stored inside the surface of the earth. This geothermal power originates from the radioactive decomposition of the minerals, original configuration of the planet and by the solar energy that is absorbed by the surface. Since ancient times it has been used for bathing and space heating. Now in the modern times it is also being used for the generation of the electricity.

Geothermal power is installed for space heating, Desalination, district heating, agricultural applications, spas and for various industrial processes. Current technological progressions have spectacularly expanded the size and range of feasible resources in particular for direct appliance like domicile heating.

Production of geothermal power

There is a continuous outward flow of heat from the earth’s core. This heat is transferred to the outside layer of the rock which is known as mantle. When pressure and temperature raises enough the layer of rocks in the mantle melts down which takes the form of magma. Magma is lighter than the mantle which is the surrounding layer. Then the heat is carried by the magma slowly to the earth’s crust. At times the magma reaches the surface of the earth where it takes the shape of lava. Most often the water and rocks are heated up by the magma which is below the earth’s surface. Sometimes the temperature reaches up to 700 degrees Fahrenheit. This collection of water through a natural process is known as geothermal reservoir.

Uses of geothermal power

In ancient times this geothermal water flowed freely from the surface of the earth in the form of hot springs. People used these waters for relaxing and comforting themselves. But later this water was used in many other ways. For example, the people of Rome used this water in order to treat skin and eye diseases. At Pompeii it was used to heat buildings. The Native Americans used the water of the hot springs for medicine and cooking. In France the geothermal water is used to heat homes.

In the modern times the geothermal power is used to bore wells in the geothermal tanks to bring the warm water to the earth’s surface. The production wells using geothermal power have also been introduced. This geothermal power also helps on the generation of electricity in the geothermal plants.

Generation of electricity

A tot up of 56,786 GWh or 204 PJ of electric power was generated by 24 countries in the year 2005 from geothermal power. It accounted for 0.3% of the global electric power consumption. This output has been growing by 3% on yearly basis. The electricity is produced from the turbine generators in the geothermal plants. For the sustenance of the reservoir and in order to maintain pressure the used water is drained back in an injection well so that it can be reheated.

There are three types of power plant. These are:

• The dry steam power plants.
• The flash power plant.
• The binary power plant.

This geothermal power is reliable, Cost effective and environment friendly. This form of production of power is very popular these days.