Geothermal Power – Extra Notes

1. Geothermal Power – Extra Notes • Basics: How much Geothermal Power is in use? • World: 11,000 MW of capacity in 2010 • US: > 3000 MW of capacity  0.3% of national production • Iceland: 575 MW of capacity  30% of national production • 28 GW of direct heating (0.7% primary energy consumption) http://geothermal.marin.org/geopresentation/sld001.htm

2. Geothermal Power – Extra Notes • Geothermal Pros and Cons • Pros: • Environmentally Friendly • Renewable • Massive Potential • Stable • Great for Heating and Cooling • Cons: • Environmental Issues • Surface Instability (Land Subsidence) • Expensive • Location Specific • Sustainability Issues http://energyinformative.org/geothermal-energy-pros-and-cons/

3. Geothermal Power – Extra Notes Nitrogen • Pros: • Environmentally Friendly: • Minimal pollutants compared to other technologies • Uses less water than fossil fuel plants • Land footprint is very small Particulate Matter Sulfur Dioxide http://www.geo-energy.org/pdf/reports/AGuidetoGeothermalEnergyandtheEnvironment10.6.10.pdf

4. Geothermal Power – Extra Notes • Pros: • Environmentally Friendly: • Minimal Pollutants http://geo-energy.org/geo_basics_environment.aspx

5. Geothermal Power – Extra Notes • Pros: • Environmentally Friendly: • Less fresh water usage • Smaller Land footprint http://www.geo-energy.org/pdf/reports/AGuidetoGeothermalEnergyandtheEnvironment10.6.10.pdf

6. Geothermal Power – Extra Notes • Pros: • Renewable: • Come from natural resources • Water is replenished • If done correctly, energy can last billions of years • Massive Potential: • Experts estimate 0.35 – 2.0 TW of potential • World Energy Consumption = 15 TW • New technologies (like EGS) + rising energy costs  more geothermal reservoirs can be explored profitably http://energyinformative.org/geothermal-energy-pros-and-cons/

7. Geothermal Power – Extra Notes • Pros: • Stable: • Capacity factors have been demonstrated to be as high as 96% • In reality, global average for geothermal plants is about 73% • http://thinkgeoenergy.com/archives/9644 • Compares favorably to other renewables http://www.geo-energy.org/pdf/reports/AGuidetoGeothermalEnergyandtheEnvironment10.6.10.pdf http://hawaiienergyoptions.blogspot.com/2011/04/ny-times-nearly-ignores-big-wind.html

8. Geothermal Power – Extra Notes • Cons: • Environmental Issues • Greenhouse gas emissions (minimal) • Noise pollution (minimal) http://www.geo-energy.org/pdf/reports/AGuidetoGeothermalEnergyandtheEnvironment10.6.10.pdf

9. Geothermal Power – Extra Notes • Cons: • Surface Instability • Hydraulic fracturing in EGS has been associated with increased seismic activity • http://www.treehugger.com/corporate-responsibility/geothermal-power-plant-triggers-earthquake-in-switzerland.html • http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/11/science/earth/11basel.html • Expensive • Capital costs prevent us from reaching geothermal potential • Exploration + Drilling = $2-7 million /MW • Home systems = $3,000 - $10,000 • Payback period = 10-20 years

10. Geothermal Power – Extra Notes • Cons: • Location Specific • Geothermal resources concentrated along tectonic plate boundaries http://greenertomorrow.blogly.net/2010/06/30/geothermal-power-as-alternative-energy/geothermal_hotspots/

11. Geothermal Power – Extra Notes • Cons: • Sustainability Issues • If done incorrectly, can deplete resources • Must replace fluid at same rate as you extract • Not an issue for geothermal heating

12. Geothermal Power – Extra Notes • EGS Simulation • http://www1.eere.energy.gov/geothermal/egs_animation.html

13. Geothermal Power – Extra Notes • Direct Use • http://geothermal.marin.org/geopresentation/sld071.htm