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It requires trenches at least four feet deep. The most common layouts either use two pipes, one buried at six feet, and the other at four feet, or two pipes placed side-by-side at five feet in the ground in a two-foot wide trench.How deep do you have to dig? For a horizontal loop you only need to dig between 6 – 8 feet deep. For a vertical loop you need to drill between 250 and 300 feet deep.Geothermal heat pumps (GHPs) take advantage of the Earth’s heat, and can be used almost anywhere in the world. GHPs are drilled about 3 to 90 meters (10 to 300 feet) deep, much shallower than most oil and natural gas wells. GHPs do not require fracturing bedrock to reach their energy source.
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How far down do you go for geothermal?
How deep do you have to dig? For a horizontal loop you only need to dig between 6 – 8 feet deep. For a vertical loop you need to drill between 250 and 300 feet deep.
How deep do we need to dig into the earth to get geothermal energy?
Geothermal heat pumps (GHPs) take advantage of the Earth’s heat, and can be used almost anywhere in the world. GHPs are drilled about 3 to 90 meters (10 to 300 feet) deep, much shallower than most oil and natural gas wells. GHPs do not require fracturing bedrock to reach their energy source.
How deep is a geothermal loop?
A water geothermal horizontal loop system utilizes a network of sealed and pressurized plastic pipes that are buried into the ground horizontally, just below the earth’s surface. A Horizontal loop is typically buried 3-5 ft deep and at a length of 500 to 600 feet per ton.
How deep are geothermal trenches?
Trenches are normally four to six feet deep and up to 400 feet long, depending on how many pipes are in a trench. One of the advantages of a horizontal loop system is being able to lay the trenches according to the shape of the land. As a rule of thumb, 500-600 feet of pipe is required per ton of system capacity.
How deep are geothermal pipes buried?
It requires trenches at least four feet deep. The most common layouts either use two pipes, one buried at six feet, and the other at four feet, or two pipes placed side-by-side at five feet in the ground in a two-foot wide trench.
Can you do geothermal anywhere?
Can I use geothermal technology where I live? Ground source heat pumps can be used anywhere in the United States, while direct use and deep systems are currently limited to regions with naturally high geothermal activity.
How far down do we have to drill down to get energy?
It is clean energy. Today’s oil companies are making a good living by extracting oil that is as deep as 5000 metres, where temperatures are as high as 170 degrees C. Drilling any deeper than this results in a range of engineering problems, both in terms of the drilling itself and materials.
What is the temperature of the ground about 6 feet deep?
In Minnesota at 6 to 8 feet underground the earth’s temperature is always a stable 48-52F. So even in Minnesota’s harsh winter climate, the earth below the frost line remains constant, providing you with as much heat needed to heat your home or building.
How much does it cost to drill a geothermal well?
Well drilling costs $15 to $25 per foot for the drilling process only. Installing a complete well water system costs $25 to $65 per foot, irrigation wells run $50 to $100 per foot, and geothermal wells are $15 to $40 per foot. *Prices typically include drilling, pump, casing, and complete installation.
How much land do you need for geothermal?
An entire geothermal field uses 1-8 acres per megawatt (MW) versus 5-10 acres per MW for nuclear operations and 19 acres per MW for coal power plants. Coal power plants also require huge acreages for mining their fuel.
What are 3 disadvantages of geothermal energy?
- Location Restricted. The largest single disadvantage of geothermal energy is that it is location specific. …
- Environmental Side Effects. …
- Earthquakes. …
- High Costs. …
- Sustainability.
How long does geothermal pipe need to be?
Horizontal Geothermal Ground Loops
Piping is then laid in the trench and backfilled. A typical horizontal ground loop will be 400 to 600 feet long for each ton of heating and cooling.
How big of a pond do I need for geothermal?
How Large Does My Pond or Lake Need to Be? For the average home, you’ll need a 1/2- to ¾-acre body of water that’s at least 8 feet deep.
How much land do you need for ground source heat pump?
The maximum length for a loop of pipe will be 400m but depending on the size of the heat pump required you may require 2 or more ground loops. The average system will require between 600 and 1200 square metres of land. This land must be clear of trees and buildings.
What are 3 disadvantages of geothermal energy?
- Location Restricted. The largest single disadvantage of geothermal energy is that it is location specific. …
- Environmental Side Effects. …
- Earthquakes. …
- High Costs. …
- Sustainability.
Is geothermal expensive?
Let’s not sugarcoat it — installing a geothermal system is expensive. It costs $10,000 to $30,000 depending on your soil conditions, plot size, system configuration, site accessibility and the amount of digging and drilling required.
What are the disadvantages of geothermal energy?
Cons of geothermal energy: generates waste, reservoirs require proper management, it’s location-specific, has high initial cost, and can cause earthquakes in extreme cases. Geothermal has the potential to become a major global energy source, but is held back by its high upfront costs.
How long does a geothermal well last?
Geothermal ground loops last even longer, typically more than 50 years and even up to 100!
Geothermal Heat Pumps | Department of Energy
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True Green Geothermal – Frequently Asked Questions
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Geothermal Energy | National Geographic Society
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Geothermal Designs – Buschurs Refrigeration
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Geothermal Designs – Buschurs Refrigeration
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True Green Geothermal – Frequently Asked Questions
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How deep do you have to dig for geothermal heat?
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Geothermal Heat Pumps
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Geothermal heat pumps (GHPs), sometimes referred to as GeoExchange, earth-coupled, ground-source, or water-source heat pumps, have been in use since the late 1940s. They use the relatively constant temperature of the earth as the exchange medium instead of the outside air temperature.
Although many parts of the country experience seasonal temperature extremes — from scorching heat in the summer to sub-zero cold in the winter—a few feet below the earth’s surface the ground remains at a relatively constant temperature. Depending on latitude, ground temperatures range from 45°F (7°C) to 75°F (21°C). Like a cave, this ground temperature is warmer than the air above it during the winter and cooler than the air in the summer. The GHP takes advantage of these more favorable temperatures to become high efficient by exchanging heat with the earth through a ground heat exchanger.
As with any heat pump, geothermal and water-source heat pumps are able to heat, cool, and, if so equipped, supply the house with hot water. Some models of geothermal systems are available with two-speed compressors and variable fans for more comfort and energy savings. Relative to air-source heat pumps, they are quieter, last longer, need little maintenance, and do not depend on the temperature of the outside air.
A dual-source heat pump combines an air-source heat pump with a geothermal heat pump. These appliances combine the best of both systems. Dual-source heat pumps have higher efficiency ratings than air-source units, but are not as efficient as geothermal units. The main advantage of dual-source systems is that they cost much less to install than a single geothermal unit, and work almost as well.
Even though the installation price of a geothermal system can be several times that of an air-source system of the same heating and cooling capacity, the additional costs may be returned in energy savings in 5 to 10 years, depending on the cost of energy and available incentives in your area. System life is estimated at up to 24 years for the inside components and 50+ years for the ground loop. There are approximately 50,000 geothermal heat pumps installed in the United States each year. For more information, visit the International Ground Source Heat Pump Association.
Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How deep do you have to dig?
For a horizontal loop you only need to dig between 6 – 8 feet deep.
For a vertical loop you need to drill between 250 and 300 feet deep.
What is a geothermal system?
Very simply, a geothermal system is the most advanced, efficient, adaptable, and cost effective heating and cooling system in the world today.
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How does geothermal work?
A geothermal system uses the energy of the sun, stored in the earth, to keep you in comfort all year round. Even in the winter, when a blanket of snow may cover the ground, the earth’s temperature is a constant 10 to 15 Degrees C (40-60 Degrees F) at only six feet below the surface, all year round. This means that you have a steady supply of heat to keep you in comfort, even in the depths of the coldest winter.
The geothermal system consists of a geothermal unit, installed in your house, which is attached to a series of pipes buried in the ground. An ethanol solution is circulated through the pipes to make them highly efficient conductors of heat. The ethanol in the pipes absorbs the heat from the ground and is pumped back into the geothermal unit in the house. The unit extracts the heat from the ethanol solution, then distributes the heat throughout the house.
In the summer, the whole process reverses itself. Heat is taken from the air in the house and transferred to the ground, which on warm days is cooler than the air.
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Why should I buy a geothermal system?
Geothermal systems savings over the long term as compared to such traditional sources of energy as propane, oil, electric resistance, or natural gas.
Annual heating bills are anywhere from 50 to 80% lower, depending on the system that is replaced. Geothermal energy is not subject to rising costs or unpredictable price swings, and is not transported over long distances. It is always available, right beneath your feet!
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After savings, what are other benefits of a geothermal system?
* Comfort
In homeowner surveys, geothermal systems are routinely ranked as “more comfortable” than traditional gas, oil, or electric systems. Geothermal systems get rid of the humidity changes that traditional systems are prone to, as well as the occasional odour caused by combustion of fossil fuels.
* Free or reduced-cost hot water
A geothermal system will heat your water 2 to 3 times more efficiently than a regular hot water tank.
* Less Noise
Since the geothermal system also provides air conditioning, no noisy traditional outdoors unit is required.
* Low maintenance
Cleaning the electrostatic filter once a month is all that’s needed to keep the system in good running order. Geothermal systems have no flame, no chimney, and no danger of fire or carbon monoxide poisoning. No more worrying about deadly natural gas explosions.
* Long life
Geothermal units have a life expectancy of 20-25 years.
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Is geothermal good for the environment?
Installing a geothermal system to replace a fossil fuel system immediately cuts your personal emissions contribution by 50%, or the equivalent of planting an acre of trees.
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What is the future of geothermal energy?
Geothermal energy has a very promising future. The cost-efficiency of geothermal energy will continue to improve as geothermal technology is upgraded and as fossil fuel prices continue to rise.
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National Geographic Society
Geothermal energy is heat that is generated within the Earth. (Geo means “earth,” and thermal means “heat” in Greek.) It is a renewable resource that can be harvested for human use.
About 2,900 kilometers (1,800 miles) below the Earth’s crust, or surface, is the hottest part of our planet: the core. A small portion of the core ’s heat comes from the friction and gravitational pull formed when Earth was created more than 4 billion years ago. However, the vast majority of Earth’s heat is constantly generated by the decay of radioactive isotopes, such as potassium-40 and thorium-232.
Isotopes are forms of an element that have a different number of neutrons than regular versions of the element ’s atom.
Potassium, for instance, has 20 neutrons in its nucleus. Potassium-40, however, has 21 neutrons . As potassium-40 decays, its nucleus changes, emitting enormous amounts of energy (radiation). Potassium-40 most often decays to isotopes of calcium (calcium-40) and argon (argon-40).
Radioactive decay is a continual process in the core . Temperatures there rise to more than 5,000° Celsius (about 9,000° Fahrenheit). Heat from the core is constantly radiating outward and warming rocks, water, gas, and other geological material.
Earth’s temperature rises with depth from the surface to the core . This gradual change in temperature is known as the geothermal gradient. In most parts of the world, the geothermal gradient is about 25° C per 1 kilometer of depth (1° F per 77 feet of depth).
If underground rock formations are heated to about 700-1,300° C (1,300-2,400° F), they can become magma. Magma is molten (partly melted) rock permeated by gas and gas bubbles. Magma exists in the mantle and lower crust, and sometimes bubbles to the surface as lava.
Magma heats nearby rocks and underground aquifers. Hot water can be released through geysers, hot springs, steam vents, underwater hydrothermal vents , and mud pots.
These are all sources of geothermal energy . Their heat can be captured and used directly for heat, or their steam can be used to generate electricity. Geothermal energy can be used to heat structures such as buildings, parking lots, and sidewalks.
Most of the Earth’s geothermal energy does not bubble out as magma , water, or steam . It remains in the mantle , emanating outward at a slow pace and collecting as pockets of high heat. This dry geothermal heat can be accessed by drilling, and enhanced with injected water to create steam .
Many countries have developed methods of tapping into geothermal energy . Different types of geothermal energy are available in different parts of the world. In Iceland, abundant sources of hot, easily accessible underground water make it possible for most people to rely on geothermal sources as a safe, dependable, and inexpensive source of energy. Other countries, such as the U.S., must drill for geothermal energy at greater cost.
Harvesting Geothermal Energy: Heating and Cooling
Low-Temperature Geothermal Energy
Almost anywhere in the world, geothermal heat can be accessed and used immediately as a source of heat. This heat energy is called low-temperature geothermal energy . Low-temperature geothermal energy is obtained from pockets of heat about 150° C (302° F). Most pockets of low-temperature geothermal energy are found just a few meters below ground.
Low-temperature geothermal energy can be used for heating greenhouses, homes, fisheries, and industrial processes. Low-temperature energy is most efficient when used for heating, although it can sometimes be used to generate electricity .
People have long used this type of geothermal energy for engineering, comfort, healing, and cooking. Archaeological evidence shows that 10,000 years ago, groups of Native Americans gathered around naturally occurring hot springs to recuperate or take refuge from conflict. In the third century BCE, scholars and leaders warmed themselves in a hot spring fed by a stone pool near Lishan, a mountain in central China. One of the most famous hot spring spas is in the appropriately named town of Bath, England. Starting construction in about 60 CE, Roman conquerors built an elaborate system of steam rooms and pools using heat from the region’s shallow pockets of low-temperature geothermal energy .
The hot springs of Chaudes Aigues, France, have provided a source of income and energy for the town since the 1300s. Tourists flock to the town for its elite spas . The low-temperature geothermal energy also supplies heat to homes and businesses.
The United States opened its first geothermal district heating system in 1892 in Boise, Idaho. This system still provides heat to about 450 homes.
Co-Produced Geothermal Energy
Co-produced geothermal energy technology relies on other energy sources. This form of geothermal energy uses water that has been heated as a byproduct in oil and gas wells.
In the United States, about 25 billion barrels of hot water are produced every year as a byproduct . In the past, this hot water was simply discarded. Recently, it has been recognized as a potential source of even more energy: Its steam can be used to generate electricity to be used immediately or sold to the grid.
One of the first co-produced geothermal energy projects was initiated at the Rocky Mountain Oilfield Testing Center in the U.S. state of Wyoming.
Newer technology has allowed co-produced geothermal energy facilities to be portable. Although still in experimental stages, mobile power plants hold tremendous potential for isolated or impoverished communities.
Geothermal Heat Pumps
Geothermal heat pumps (GHPs) take advantage of the Earth’s heat, and can be used almost anywhere in the world. GHPs are drilled about 3 to 90 meters (10 to 300 feet) deep, much shallower than most oil and natural gas wells. GHPs do not require fracturing bedrock to reach their energy source.
A pipe connected to a GHP is arranged in a continuous loop—called a “slinky loop”—that circles underground and above ground, usually throughout a building. The loop can also be contained entirely underground, to heat a parking lot or landscaped area.
In this system, water or other liquids (such as glycerol, similar to a car’s antifreeze) move through the pipe. During the cold season, the liquid absorbs underground geothermal heat. It carries the heat upward through the building and gives off warmth through a duct system. These heated pipes can also run through hot water tanks and offset water-heating costs.
During the summer, the GHP system works the opposite way: The liquid in the pipes is warmed from the heat in the building or parking lot, and carries the heat to be cooled underground.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has called geothermal heating the most energy-efficient and environmentally safe heating and cooling system. The largest GHP system was completed in 2012 at Ball State University in Indiana. The system replaced a coal-fired boiler system, and experts estimate the university will save about $2 million a year in heating costs.
Harvesting Geothermal Energy: Electricity
In order to obtain enough energy to generate electricity, geothermal power plants rely on heat that exists a few kilometers below the surface of the Earth. In some areas, the heat can naturally exist underground as pockets steam or hot water. However, most areas need to be “enhanced” with injected water to create steam.
Dry-Steam Power Plants
Dry- steam power plants take advantage of natural underground sources of steam . The steam is piped directly to a power plant, where it is used to fuel turbines and generate electricity .
Dry steam is the oldest type of power plant to generate electricity using geothermal energy . The first dry- steam power plant was constructed in Larderello, Italy, in 1911. Today, the dry- steam power plants at Larderello continue to supply electricity to more than a million residents of the area.
There are only two known sources of underground steam in the United States: Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming and The Geysers in California. Since Yellowstone is a protected area, The Geysers is the only place where a dry- steam power plant is in use. It is one of the largest geothermal energy complexes in the world, and provides about a fifth of all renewable energy in California.
Flash-Steam Power Plant
Flash- steam power plants use naturally occurring sources of underground hot water and steam . Water that is hotter than 182° C (360° F) is pumped into a low-pressure area. Some of the water “flashes,” or evaporates rapidly into steam , and is funneled out to power a turbine and generate electricity . Any remaining water can be flashed in a separate tank to extract more energy.
Flash- steam power plants are the most common type of geothermal power plants. The volcanically active island nation of Iceland supplies nearly all its electrical needs through a series of flash- steam geothermal power plants. The steam and excess warm water produced by the flash- steam process heat icy sidewalks and parking lots in the frigid Arctic winter.
The islands of the Philippines also sit over a tectonically active area, the “Ring of Fire” that rims the Pacific Ocean. Government and industry in the Philippines have invested in flash- steam power plants , and today the nation is second only to the United States in its use of geothermal energy . In fact, the largest single geothermal power plant is a flash- steam facility in Malitbog, Philippines.
Binary Cycle Power Plants
Binary cycle power plants use a unique process to conserve water and generate heat. Water is heated underground to about 107°-182° C (225°-360° F). The hot water is contained in a pipe, which cycles above ground. The hot water heats a liquid organic compound that has a lower boiling point than water. The organic liquid creates steam , which flows through a turbine and powers a generator to create electricity . The only emission in this process is steam . The water in the pipe is recycled back to the ground, to be re-heated by the Earth and provide heat for the organic compound again.
The Beowawe Geothermal Facility in the U.S. state of Nevada uses the binary cycle to generate electricity . The organic compound used at the facility is an industrial refrigerant (tetrafluoroethane, a greenhouse gas). This refrigerant has a much lower boiling point than water, meaning it is converted into gas at low temperatures. The gas fuels the turbines , which are connected to electrical generators.
Enhanced Geothermal Systems
The Earth has virtually endless amounts of energy and heat beneath its surface. However, it is not possible to use it as energy unless the underground areas are ” hydrothermal .” This means the underground areas are not only hot, but also contain liquid and are permeable. Many areas do not have all three of these components. An enhanced geothermal system (EGS) uses drilling, fracturing, and injection to provide fluid and permeability in areas that have hot—but dry—underground rock.
To develop an EGS, an “injection well” is drilled vertically into the ground. Depending on the type of rock, this can be as shallow as 1 kilometer (0.6 mile) to as deep as 4.5 kilometers (2.8 miles). High-pressure cold water is injected into the drilled space , which forces the rock to create new fractures, expand existing fractures, or dissolve. This creates a reservoir of underground fluid.
Water is pumped through the injection well and absorbs the rocks’ heat as it flows through the reservoir. This hot water, called brine, is then piped back up to Earth’s surface through a “production well.” The heated brine is contained in a pipe. It warms a secondary fluid that has a low boiling point, which evaporates to steam and powers a turbine . The brine cools off, and cycles back down through the injection well to absorb underground heat again. There are no gaseous emissions besides the water vapor from the evaporated liquid.
Pumping water into the ground for EGSs can cause seismic activity, or small earthquakes. In Basel, Switzerland, the injection process caused hundreds of tiny earthquakes that grew to more significant seismic activity even after the water injection was halted. This led to the geothermal project being canceled in 2009.
Geothermal Energy and the Environment
Geothermal energy is a renewable resource. The Earth has been emitting heat for about 4.5 billion years, and will continue to emit heat for billions of years into the future because of the ongoing radioactive decay in the Earth’s core.
However, most wells that extract the heat will eventually cool, especially if heat is extracted more quickly than it is given time to replenish. Larderello, Italy, site of the world’s first electrical plant supplied by geothermal energy, has seen its steam pressure fall by more than 25% since the 1950s.
Re-injecting water can sometimes help a cooling geothermal site last longer. However, this process can cause “micro-earthquakes.” Although most of these are too small to be felt by people or register on a scale of magnitude, sometimes the ground can quake at more threatening levels and cause the geothermal project to shut down, as it did in Basel, Switzerland.
Geothermal systems do not require enormous amounts of freshwater. In binary systems, water is only used as a heating agent, and is not exposed or evaporated . It can be recycled, used for other purposes, or released into the atmosphere as non-toxic steam . However, if the geothermal fluid is not contained and recycled in a pipe, it can absorb harmful substances such as arsenic, boron, and fluoride. These toxic substances can be carried to the surface and released when the water evaporates . In addition, if the fluid leaks to other underground water systems, it can contaminate clean sources of drinking water and aquatic habitats.
Advantages
There are many advantages to using geothermal energy either directly or indirectly:
Geothermal energy is renewable; it is not a fossil fuel that will be eventually used up. The Earth is continuously radiating heat out from its core, and will continue to do so for billions of years.
Some form of geothermal energy can be accessed and harvested anywhere in the world.
Using geothermal energy is relatively clean. Most systems only emit water vapor, although some emit very small amounts of sulfur dioxide, nitrous oxides, and particulates.
Geothermal power plants can last for decades and possibly centuries. If a reservoir is managed properly, the amount of extracted energy can be balanced with the rock’s rate of renewing its heat.
Unlike other renewable energy sources, geothermal systems are “ baseload .” This means they can work in the summer or winter, and are not dependent on changing factors such as the presence of wind or sun. Geothermal power plants produce electricity or heat 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
.” This means they can work in the summer or winter, and are not dependent on changing factors such as the presence of wind or sun. Geothermal power plants produce electricity or heat 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The space it takes to build a geothermal facility is much more compact than other power plants. To produce a GWh (a gigawatt hour, or one million kilowatts of energy for one hour, an enormous amount of energy), a geothermal plant uses the equivalent of about 1,046 square kilometers (404 square miles) of land. To produce the same GWh, wind energy requires 3,458 square kilometers (1,335 square miles), a solar photovoltaic center requires 8,384 square kilometers (3,237 square miles), and coal plants use about 9,433 square kilometers (3,642 square miles).
than other power plants. To produce a GWh (a gigawatt hour, or one million kilowatts of energy for one hour, an enormous amount of energy), a geothermal plant uses the equivalent of about 1,046 square kilometers (404 square miles) of land. To produce the same GWh, requires 3,458 square kilometers (1,335 square miles), a solar center requires 8,384 square kilometers (3,237 square miles), and coal plants use about 9,433 square kilometers (3,642 square miles). Geothermal energy systems are adaptable to many different conditions.
They can be used to heat, cool, or power individual homes, whole districts, or industrial processes.
Disadvantages
Harvesting geothermal energy still poses many challenges:
The process of injecting high-pressure streams of water into the Earth can result in minor seismic activity, or small earthquakes.
Geothermal plants have been linked to subsidence , or the slow sinking of land. This happens as the underground fractures collapse upon themselves. This can lead to damaged pipelines, roadways, buildings, and natural drainage systems.
, or the slow sinking of land. This happens as the underground fractures collapse upon themselves. This can lead to damaged pipelines, roadways, buildings, and natural drainage systems. Geothermal plants can release small amounts of greenhouse gases such as hydrogen sulfide and carbon dioxide.
Water that flows through underground reservoirs can pick up trace amounts of toxic elements such as arsenic, mercury, and selenium. These harmful substances can be leaked to water sources if the geothermal system is not properly insulated.
Although the process requires almost no fuel to run, the initial cost of installing geothermal technology is expensive. Developing countries may not have the sophisticated infrastructure or start-up costs to invest in a geothermal power plant. Several facilities in the Philippines, for example, were made possible by investments from American industry and government agencies. Today, the plants are Philippine-owned and operated.
Geothermal Energy and People
Geothermal energy exists in different forms all over the Earth (by steam vents, lava, geysers, or simply dry heat), and there are different possibilities for extracting and using this heat.
In New Zealand, natural geysers and steam vents heat swimming pools, homes, greenhouses, and prawn farms. New Zealanders also use dry geothermal heat to dry timber and feedstock.
Other countries, such as Iceland, have taken advantage of molten rock and magma resources from volcanic activity to provide heat for homes and buildings. In Iceland, almost 90% of the country’s people use geothermal heating resources. Iceland also relies on its natural geysers to melt snow, warm fisheries, and heat greenhouses.
The United States generates the most amount of geothermal energy of any other country. Every year, the U.S. generates at least 15 billion kilowatt-hours, or the equivalent of burning about 25 million barrels of oil. Industrial geothermal technologies have been concentrated in the western U.S. In 2012, Nevada had 59 geothermal projects either operational or in development, followed by California with 31 projects, and Oregon with 16 projects.
The cost of geothermal energy technology has gone down in the last decade, and is becoming more economically possible for individuals and companies.
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