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Why Geothermal? • Geothermal energy is thermal energy generated and stored in the Earth. Thermal energy is the energy that determines the temperature of matter. Earth's geothermal energy originates from the original formation of the planet (20%) and from radioactive decay of minerals (80%). • The geothermal gradient, which is the difference in temperature between the core of the planet and its surface, drives a continuous conduction of thermal energy in the form of heat from the core to the surface. The adjective geothermal originates from the Greek roots ge- meaning earth, and thermos, meaning hot. • The Green Home Builders is a community working together to make everyone use Geothermal Energy
The Earth is not Solid • The Earth is made in layers in which geothermal energy is produced in the core. • The first step in the organic creation of geothermal energy is that the core gets boiled until it releases a huge amount of energy, known as geothermal energy • It is then that the energy is pushed to the surface where it is released • The energy is spread throughout the atmosphere and is caught by man for our uses • This energy is renewable because it is organic, meaning coming from the earth • Geothermal energy is generated by heat stored beneath the earths surface
Geothermal is Renewable • Geothermal power plants don’t burn fuel to produce electricity, they just use the energy’s fuel cells • Geothermal energy is eco-friendly because it is organic • It only release 1% of Carbon-dioxide into the atmosphere • It is amazing how it uses 97% of rainfall as one of its many power supplies • Geothermal energy supplies less than 10% of the word’s energy supplies • Geothermal energy is sustainable because water can be re-injected into the earths surface
Where is geothermal energy found? • Geothermal energy naturally occurs in large areas of hydrothermal resources as the form of volcanoes, geysers, or hot springs • These areas are also referred to as geothermal reservoirs • It can also be found underground which is one of the main reasons why mining started in North America • Geothermal Energy is found in locations with high temperatures • Most geothermal reservoirs are found near plate boundaries, especially in the Pacific Plate-Boundary • When magma makes contact to the surface, it heats the ground-water trapped on fractures and faults making hydrothermal resources which leads to the creation of geothermal reservoirs • The U.S has a massive supply of geothermal reservoirs which has been producing energy since 1960
We use geothermal energy • Geothermal energy has three main uses: Heating; Electricity generating; and geothermal heat pumps • Geothermal energy exploit uses three basic types of geothermal power plants: Dry steam, Flash steam and Binary power plant. • Geothermal energy is widely used in California with more than 30 geothermal power plants that are producing more than 90 % of the geothermal electricity in the USA. • Geothermal energy widely exploited in Iceland, New Zealand, Japan, Italy, Philippines and in USA mostly in California and Nevada.
Electricity • Geothermal energy is widely used in California with more than 30 geothermal power plants that are producing more than 90 % of the geothermal electricity in the USA. • Geothermal energy's amount of electricity is less than 1 percent of total electricity produced in the USA. • Geothermal energy is giving 18 % of Iceland's total electricity. • Geothermal energy could produce 10 percent of US electricity by the year 2050. • Geothermal energy could supply US with more than 30,000 MW of power by 2025. • Geothermal energy can be easily found and exploited along the "Ring of Fire" region. • Geothermal energy is extremely efficient (almost 100 %) energy source where only real source of losing energy is from turbine friction. • Geothermal energy has only one real problem and that is lack easily accessible sites. A Geothermal advantage is also the fact that geothermal power plants run continuously day and night with an uptime typically exceeding 95%.
Geothermal Facts • Geothermal energy is a form of renewable energy derived from heat deep in the earth's crust. • Geothermal Energy has been around for as long as the Earth has existed. "Geo" means earth, and "thermal" means heat. So, geothermal means earth-heat. • Geothermal power is generated in, Costa Rica, Russia, the Philippines, Indonesia, the People's Republic of China and Japan. over 20 countries around the world including Iceland, the United States, Italy, France, Lithuania, New Zealand, Mexico, Nicaragua • The entire world resource base of geothermal energy has been calculated in government surveys to be larger than the resource bases of coal, oil, gas and uranium combined. • Iceland is situated in an area with a high concentration of volcanoes, making it an ideal location for generating geothermal energy. Over 26% of Iceland's electrical energy is generated from geothermal sources. In addition, geothermal heating is used to heat 87% of homes in Iceland. Icelanders plan to be 100% non-fossil fuel in the near future. • About 2850 megawatts of geothermal generation capacity is available from power plants in the western United States. Geothermal energy generates about 2% of the electricity in Utah, 6% of the electricity in California and almost 10% of the electricity in northern Nevada. • Today, geothermal energy is utilized in three technology categories: • Heating and cooling buildings via geothermal heat pumps that utilize shallow sources • Heating structures with direct-use applications • Generating electricity through indirect use. • The most active geothermal resources are usually found along major plate boundaries where earthquakes and volcanoes are concentrated. Most of the geothermal activity in the world occurs in an area called the Ring of Fire. This area rims the Pacific Ocean. A common way in which geothermal energy is obtained is through tapping into hydrothermal sites, also called geothermal springs. These sites are geologically active places where water seeps into the Earth's crust and is heated by the Earth's interior, rising to the surface as steam.
Geothermal Energy Usage CHINA UNITED STATES OF AMERICA Has a supply of geothermal energy in the western part of the country Has power plants set up mainly in the west Geothermal Energy is created generally in plate-boundaries, so the nearest plate-boundary is in the western part of the U.S.A • Uses 8,724 watts every month. • Uses the cleanest energy • Has the largest supply of Geothermal Energy in the world • Has geothermal energy power plants all over the country
Geothermal Energy Usage • China 19.5% United States 12.6% Iceland 12.5% Turkey 9.8% New Zealand 4.4% Georgia 3.9% Russia 3.8% Japan 3.6% France 3% Sweden 2.6% Mexico 2.4% Italy 2.3% Romania 1.8% Hungary 1.8% India 1.6% Switzerland 1.5% Serbia and Montenegro 1.5% Slovakia 1.3% Israel 1.1% Bulgaria 1%
GEOTHERMAL ENERGY IN ROMANIA • Geothermal energy in Romania is mainly located, in the western part of the country, in the Banat region and the western part of the Apuseni Mountains with the most important source located in the Bihor County especially around the city of Oradea, that has been using geothermal energy for more than a hundred years.Theoretically Romania has the third highest potential geothermal capacity in Europe after Greece and Italy.
Romania is rich in proven geothermal resources of up to 120temperature, defined by 250 production wells. • Reliable information on the resources and reasonable technicalexpertise are locally available in Romania. • Current legal framework provides incentives to investments for geothermal energy utilization, but it is rather complicated. • A rather small part of the geothermal potential of Romania issused, mainly for district heating, greenhouse heating and spas. • Further geothermal development is technically and economicallyfeasible in Romania (mainly for existing wells), even more atpresent (New Green Certificates Law in force, “Green House”programme extended to private persons, geothermal beingspecifically mentioned).
