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Low-CO 2 Energy. http://www.sciencecartoonsplus.com. Geothermal Energy in Perspective. 6% of 8%. Most People’s Idea of Geothermal Energy. Lone Star Geyser, Yellowstone. Mammoth Terraces, Yellowstone. ≈ 4.6 b.y. ago. gravitational collapse. radioactive decay. Why is Earth interior hot?.
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Geothermal Energy in Perspective 6% of 8%
Lone Star Geyser,Yellowstone Mammoth Terraces,Yellowstone
≈ 4.6 b.y. ago • gravitational collapse • radioactive decay Why is Earth interior hot? • Heat from rocks & atmosphere slow heat loss
Circulate hot water or stream thru buildings • Generate electricity • Hot water or steam to turn turbines • convert secondary fluid to vapor to turn turbines
Heat is an energy transfer from hot (higher T) objects to cold (lower T) objects
Dry Steam Power Plant • fluids are primarily steam • oldest type of geothermal • power plant • gases can include H2S • very noisy The Geysers, CA - largest single source of geothermal power
The Nesjavellir Geothermal Power Plant in Iceland wikipedia.org/wiki/Geothermal_power
Potential pollution Problems – depends on type of geothermal • Air emissions • radon gas • H2S • CO2 • methane • ammonia • Thermal pollution (low thermal efficiency (20%); • low steam temperatures • Noise
Animations of Geothermal Electric Power Plants Hot, Dry Rock Animation http://www1.eere.energy.gov/geothermal/gpp_animation.html Wells and Power Plant http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vSZ1dIBdOIs&feature=related Noisy Steam Release http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=ehRgYs9qOvk Wells and Power Plant – longer animation http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kjpp2MQffnw&feature=related
Few areas with hot rocks near the surface thefraserdomain.typepad.com/
Geothermal Heat Pumps • Earth T nearly constant 50-60 oF near surface www.igshpa.okstate.edu www.daviddarling.info
http://swgeothermal.com/Images/GeoAnimation.gif Summer, cooling almost free Winter, heating cheaper than standard heat pump D 20o D 50o D 20o D 20o
System costs are returned in energy savings in 5–10 years. System life is estimated at 25 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. The initial cost of installing a geothermal heat pump system can be 2-3 times that of a conventional heating system in most residential applications. homeimprovement.resourcesforattorneys.com
Thermal energy from lakes, abandoned mines http://www.oscette.com/Tunnel.jpg
Ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC) • exploits T difference between warm surface water and deep cold water
A geothermal heat pump (also called GeoExchange, earth-coupled, ground source or water-source heat pump [1]) system is a heating and/or cooling system that uses the earth´s ability to store heat in the shallow ground or water thermal masses. Geothermal heat pumps are known also as "GeoExchange" systems, or "ground source heat pumps", to clearly distinguish them from air source heat pumps. It is important to understand that ground source heat pumps draw energy from shallow ground. The energy originates from the sun: none of the energy originates from the centre of the Earth, in spite of the name "geothermal heat pump". Genuine geothermal energy from the centre of Earth is available only in places where volcanic activity comes close to the surface. These systems operate based on the stability of underground temperatures: the shallow ground, this is the upper 10 feet (3.0 m) of Earth´s surface, has a very stable temperature throughout the year - between 10 and 16 °C (50 and 61 °F), depending upon location's annual climate [2]. Like a cave, the shallow ground temperature is warmer than the air above during the winter and cooler than the air in the summer [3]. A geothermal heat pump uses that available heat in the winter (heating) and puts heat back into the ground in the summer (cooling). The system cost are returned in energy savings in 5–10 years. System life is estimated at 25 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 [4]. The heat pump itself, explained more fully in the article on heat pumps, consists of a loop containing refrigerant. The refrigerant is pumped through a vapor-compression refrigeration cycle that moves heat from a cooler area to a warmer one. The initial cost of installing a geothermal heat pump system can be two to three times that of a conventional heating system in most residential applications
Hydrogen (H2) as fuel What kinds don’t make CO2? energy 2H2O = 2H2 + O2 2H2 + O2 = 2H2O Why is this a nearly ideal fuel! Pure water is the only waste! H2 is explosive – engineering challenges How do we make it? solarnuclearhydropower