How does Geothermal Energy Work?

The heat energy from within the earth is known as geothermal energy. The scientists believe tapping geothermal energy would be a sustainable solution to reduce the effects of global warming and dependence on fossil fuels. This article gives a brief introduction to geothermal energy and how it works.

The term geothermal energy is derived from the Greek word "Geo" meaning "earth" and "Therme" meaning heat. Hence, geothermal energy is the heat energy from within the earth. You could use the hot water (hot springs and geysers) and steam inside the earth’s crust to produce electricity and also heat buildings. An interesting ecological fact is geothermal energy could be renewed. The water levels are recovered by timely rainfall and the heat is produced within the earth. Therefore the geothermal energy is a renewable source of energy.

Are you aware of the fact geothermal energy is produced approximately 4,000 miles below the surface of the earth? The temperature inside the earth is much higher than the temperature of the sun’s surface. This is because of the radioactive process, which constantly takes place in the rocky crust within the earth. The geothermal energy is used directly by people around the world in the home heating systems and also to generate geothermal electricity.

How does Geothermal Energy Work?

The temperature is 100 degree Celsius three miles beneath the earth. This is an ideal temperature to boil water to generate a steam-powered electric power plant. However, drilling three miles below the earth, though possible is a Herculean task. Instead, geothermal hotspots are identified to derive geothermal energy. A geothermal hotspot is an area that transmits excess internal heat from the interior of the earth to the outer crust because of the reduced thickness in the earth’s mantle. Geothermal hotspots could be used to generate electricity.

One of the methods to generate electricity from geothermal energy is by pumping hot water into sedimentary hotspots. The steam generated by this method is used to produce electricity. The condensed steam is again circulated into the permeable sedimentary stream of a hotspot.

Another method is by using volcanic magma. The temperature of partially molten magma is approximately 650 degree Celsius. This heat is used to boil water to generate electricity.

Some geothermal plants also use the hardened magma that is extremely hot. This system uses hot dry rock. Pipes are looped through these hot dry rocks through which water is circulated. The heat of the rocks converts the water into steam prior to transferring the heat to a steam generator.

Advantages of Geothermal Energy

Geothermal energy has more advantages compared to various other forms of energy. A few of the geothermal energies are given below. Geothermal energy is an eco-friendly energy and is popularly known as a clean energy. The reason behind this is that geothermal energy is not extracted from fossil fuels and emits only approximately three percentage of C₂O. This is one of the major advantages of geothermal energy.

Human race is facing serious environmental problems such as global warming and pollution; hence it is vital to switch over to the renewable energy sources such as geothermal energy. Geothermal energy is derived from the heat generated by the earth’s core and from water. Yearly rainfalls replenish water level in the earth and the heat is constantly generated within the earth’s crust.

One of the biggest advantages of geothermal energy is emission from a geothermal plant is less compared to traditional generation of power. A geothermal plant does not emit liquids or any form of harmful gases. The only gas emitted is C₂O in small quantity. The water reservoirs are replenished with recycled salt and minerals along with excess water that is pumped into it.

In future, the geothermal energy would be efficiently used instead of other forms of energy. The reason is it is a renewable form of energy that is not only clean but also could supply continuous electrical power. Geothermal energy is available 24 x 7 and is produced within every country. This means, a country with large number of geothermal plants becomes less dependent on foreign fossil fuels.

By Maya Pillai

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Tags: geothermal power systems for the home, geothermal sampling procedures, how does geothermal energy work

This entry was posted on Monday, February 23rd, 2009 at 11:23 am and is filed under Geothermal Cooling And Heating. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.