Geothermal Energy

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Geothermal Energy

• Maren Hamby
• Ashley Dolan

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Geothermal Energy

• Geothermal 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

3

• http//lawrencemolloy.com/hotzone/wp-content/uploa
  ds/2007/12/lower-48-super-map.gif

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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

5

• http//www.mrfs.net/trips/2003/Northern_
• Rockies/Yellowstone_Thermal/hot_spring.jpg
• http//www.yellowstonenationalpark.org/images/
• 1920s-OldFaithfulGeyser-at-Sunset.jpg

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• http//www.odec.ca/projects/2007/truo7j2/geo.htm

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Geothermal Uses

• Electricity production for heating and cooling
  purposes
• Commercial, industrial, and residential
• Heating space heating and cooling, food
  preparation, hot spring bathing and spas,
  agriculture, aquaculture, greenhouses, industrial
  processes

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Geothermal Power Plants

• make electricity 
• 3 types
• Dry Steam Plants use steam direct from
  geothermal reservoirs to drive generator turbines
• once used water condenses and is pumped back into
  the ground
• Flash Steam Plants take high pressure hot water
  and convert to steam to turn generator turbines

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Geothermal Power Plants

• http//www1.eere.energy.gov/geothermal/powerplants
  .html

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Geothermal Power Plants

• 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/power
  plants.html

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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

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Geothermal Heat Pumps

• http//www.engineer.gvsu.edu/house/images/addition
  al/heatpump.jpg

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Making a Difference

• Moving to the US
• Direct use systems can heat 40,000 average size
  houses
• Cost effective
• Reliable
• Environmentally friendly

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Obstacles

• Technological
• Geothermal heating systems use liquid, these can
  be a refrigerant which is toxic
• Finding land
• Can stop producing steam
• Gas leaks

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Obstacles

• Political
• Expensive, but prices vary with location and
  brand
• Repairs expensive and difficult

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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

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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

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Bibliography

• http//www.geo-energy.org/aboutGE/introduction.asp
  
• http//www.ucsusa.org/clean_energy/technology_and_
  impacts/energy_technologies/how-geothermal-energy-
  works.html
• http//www.desktopscenes.com/Scenes20from20Yello
  wstone20(2003)/Old20Faithful20Ablaze.jpg
• http//www.geo-energy.org/aboutGE/environment.asp 
  
• http//www.eia.doe.gov/kids/energyfacts/sources/re
  newable/geothermal.htmlEnvironment
• http//ezinearticles.com/?Negatives-of-Using-Geoth
  ermal-For-Your-Homeid139619
• http//www.clean-energy-ideas.com/articles/disadva
  ntages_of_geothermal_energy.html
• http//www.eia.doe.gov/kids/energyfacts/sources/re
  newable/geothermal.html