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Geothermal Energy. Darlene Caba and Kaysha Grant P.1. How is this energy created? .
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Geothermal Energy Darlene Caba and Kaysha Grant P.1
How is this energy created? Geothermal power plants harness the heat from the earth to produce electricity. Geothermal power plants utilize hydrothermal energy to create a very clean source of energy. Hydrothermal energy is water sources in the form of steam or hot water obtained from below the earth's surface.
Where does it come from? Geothermal energy is created using heat from the Earth's core. The Earth's hot core creates magma and heats the Earth's crust which is made up of rocks and water. A well drilled two miles deep into the Earth's surface captures the rising hot water and steam.
How do we capture/control this energy? The most common current way of capturing the energy from geothermal sources is to tap into naturally occurring "hydrothermal convection" systems where cooler water seeps into Earth's crust, is heated up, and then rises to the surface. When heated water is forced to the surface, it is a relatively simple matter to capture that steam and use it to drive electric generators. Geothermal power plants drill their own holes into the rock to more effectively capture the steam.
What are the start-up costs with using this form of energy? Getting started with geothermal heat is expensive and is affected by many things: location, house size, and the ground that will have to be drilled. Estimates of actual costs are vague, but it is believed that you can expect the overall start-up cost to be double the cost of a standard heat pump with air conditioner. A geothermal heat pump for an average sized house can be roughly estimated to cost around $7,500. You must add the cost of installation to this, which could increase the costs to an estimated $10,000.
What are the recurring costs of this form of energy? Operating and maintenance costs range from $0.01 to $0.03 per kWh
How is this energy being used now? Geothermal energy is used today to heat homes and provide hot water. It is also used to generate energy in power plants. Hot springs, which are warm by geothermal energy, are popular spa destinations.
Where is this energy being used now? Geothermal energy can be used in three ways: Direct geothermal energy. In areas where Hot springs or geothermal reservoirs are near the Earth's surface, hot water can be piped in directly to heat homes or office buildings.
What are the benefits of this energy? Job recreation, reduce reliance on fossil fuels, no pollution
What are the drawbacks of this type of energy? Perhaps the biggest drawback when it comes to geothermal energyis that you just can’t set up a geothermal power station anywhere youwant. First of all, you’ll need a location that offers just the right kindof hot rocks. Just any hot rocks won’t do, since some rocks might provetoo strong to drill through. These rocks also need to be within areasonable depth to make drilling down to them a feasible option.Volcanic areas often provide the most geothermal efficiency.
Are there any concerns with this form of energy? No there is not, geothermal energy is renewable and clean of any pollution including greenhouse gases.
