Geothermal Energy Braden and Matthew

What is Geothermal Energy? Geothermal energy is the heat from the Earth It is clean and sustainable Slide 2: What is geothermal energy   Geothermal energy is the heat from the Earth. It's clean and sustainable. Geothermal energy is a renewable energy source because the water is replenished by rainfall, and the Earth continuously produces the heat.

The advantages of Geothermal Energy Reduce the amount of fossil fuels being used The creation of new jobs Slide 3: Advantages of geothermal energy   If countries start to implement geothermal energy plants, they could be less dependent on fossil fuels. Jobs will be created since geothermal energy is fairly new technology and more efficient methods of converting geothermal heat sources into usable energy and heat are being developed.

Other Advantages No pollution Cheaper than fossil fuels Slide 4: Other Advantages   No pollution is created during the production of geothermal energy. Therefor, it helps to reduce greenhouse gases and pollution. The gases that are released through geothermal energy are from deep in the Earth and are not very harmful to the Earth. Geothermal energy saves 80% costs over fossil fuels and no fuel is used to generate the power.

Disadvantages of Geothermal Energy Expensive installation costs Only available in some regions Slide 5: Disadvantages of geothermal energy   Expensive power plants will need to be installed to get steam from hot rocks and water deep in the Earth. Companies have to do extensive initial research before setting up the plant in order to ensure there is a reliable source of hot rocks or water. Regions high up in mountains or hills will have a more difficult time creating geothermal energy due to a lack of accessible underground heat sources.

Other Disadvantages Harmful gases could be released Transportation of geothermal energy is difficult. Slide 6: Other Disadvantages   During construction, harmful gases from deep within the Earth could be released while drilling holes. Geothermal energy is difficult to transport. It needs to be used near the source or the power plant because it is difficult to transport heat. There is also a risk of harmful substances being released into the atmosphere.

Sources of Geothermal Energy Shallow ground Hot water and hot rock found a few kilometers beneath the surface of the Earth Extremely hot temperatures of molten rock called magma Slide 7: Sources of geothermal energy   Sources of geothermal energy include shallow ground, hot water and hot rock found a few kilometers beneath the surface of the Earth, and extremely hot temperatures of molten rock called magma

Shallow Ground The average temperature of the upper 10 feet of the Earth’s surface ranges from 10° to 16° Celsius. Slide 8: shallow ground   Almost everywhere, the shallow ground or upper 10 feet of the Earth's surface maintains a nearly constant temperature between (10° and 16°C). Geothermal heat pumps can tap into this resource to heat and cool buildings

Hot Water and Rocks Wells can be drilled into hot water and rocks a few kilometers below the Earth’s surface. Slide 9: Hot water and rocks   Wells can be drilled into underground reservoirs for the generation of electricity. Some geothermal power plants use the steam from a reservoir to power a turbine or generator. Hot water near the surface of Earth can be used directly for heat.

Molten Rock and Magma Magma may come close to the surface, if this magma heats a water source, useable geothermal energy is created. Slide 10: Molten rock and magma   Technology does not exist to directly use heat from magma to create geothermal energy. However, if magma near the Earth’s surface were to continuously heat a water source, geothermal energy could be taken from that source.

The Future of Geothermal Energy Worldwide use Slide 11: The Future of Geothermal Energy   In the future, a more widespread use of geothermal energy could be possible if countries were to invest and take advantages of geothermal sources. The graphic shows which countries are currently using geothermal energy.

Geothermal Energy in Canada Geothermal Energy can be found almost anywhere in Canada for direct use of heat. Geothermal energy for electricity generation can be found in B.C, North Western Canada, and the Prairies. Slide 12: Geothermal Energy in Canada   British Colombia has the greatest potential for geothermal resources; this would be the best place to set up geothermal power plants. In Northern Canada there is also a high potential for geothermal resources but these are useless for the time being due to the low population.

Geothermal Energy in Ontario Due to the Canadian shield, Ontario is a hard place to create electricity through geothermal power plants. It is possible to use large bodies of water and the heat from the ground to use to heat and cool buildings Slide 13: Geothermal Energy in Ontario   Ontario sit upon the Canadian Shield, this presents difficulties for geothermal operations in Ontario. It is unlikely there are any geothermal reservoirs in Ontario. In addition the Canadian Shield would add an additional cost to any drilling done for geothermal reservoirs.

Current Geothermal Situation Geothermal energy from steam and hot water reservoirs is most common. Converting geothermal energy directly to heat. Slide 14: Current geothermal situation   The most common source is geothermal reservoirs is steam or hot water that is found naturally where magma comes close enough to the surface to heat ground water. Geothermal energy is most commonly converted to heat in order to heat buildings, fishponds, spas or other uses.

Geothermal Heat Pumps Cold water circulates through hot rock and heats up. The hot water powers a turbine which powers a generator. Slide 15: Geothermal heat pumps   At depths of 5 to 8 kilometers in most areas, resources can be accessed to inject cold water down a well, and circulating it through hot rock. The hot water is then moved up another well.

Cost of Current Energy Production Power plants for geothermal energy are expensive due to new technology and deep wells that are required. Lower cost of long periods of time. Slide 16: Cost of current geothermal energy production   Power plants for geothermal energy are expensive due to new technology and deep wells that are required. There is a lower cost over time because the price and availability of fuel is predictable. The power plant is always above its fuel source.

Electricity Generation There are three main ways to generate geothermal electricity. The three different power plants are Dry steam Plant, Flash steam Plant, and Binary Plant Slide 17: Geothermal electricity generation   Geothermal reservoirs of steam and water are used in the generation of electricity. There are three different kinds of power plants for geothermal production these are dry steam, flash steam and Binary plants. All of these plants require a geothermal reservoir to operate this adds an additional cost of having to find the resources underneath the ground.

Electricity Generation Through dry steam Dry steam power plants use underground resources of steam that are pumped up into the turbine to generate electricity. Slide 18: Dry Stem Power plants   Dry Steam Power Plants run off of steam reservoirs found in the ground, the steam is pumped into a generation plant. Here the steam is used to turn a turbine to produce electricity. The steam then condenses into water and is injected back into the reservoir.

Electricity generation Through Flash Steam Flash steam power plants use underground resources of hot water that are above the temperature of 182 Celsius. This water is then turned into steam to power a turbine. Slide 19: Flash Steam Plant   Flash steam power plants run off water that is 182 Celsius. The water I brought into the power plant as the Water depressurizes it turns into steam. This steam turns a turbine to generate electricity. The water condenses and then is returned to the reservoir.

Electricity Generation Through Binary cycle Binary cycle power plants operate with water between 107-182 Celsius. This water is used to boil a second liquid to power the turbine to create electricity. Slide 20: Binary Plant   Binary plants use water between 107 and 182 Celsius. This water is then used to heat a secondary liquid with a lower boiling point this secondary liquids gas is then used to turn a turbine. The water is returned back to the well. The secondary luquid stays in a closed loop of liquid to gas to liquid.

Comparison to Other Energy Sources In 2009,geothermal Energy was 5% of the total amount of renewable energy used by the US Slide 21: Comparison to other types of renewable energy   8 % of energy used in the states in 2009 was renewable energy, of that 8%, 5% was geothermal energy. The majority of renewable energy used was hydroelectric at 35%.