RELIABILITY OF RENEWABLE ENERGY: … OF RENEWABLE ENERGY: GEOTHERMAL ... Geothermal
Geothermal Energy
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Transcript of Geothermal Energy
Geothermal Energy
Thermal energy generated and stored in the Earth 80% radioactive decay of minerals 20% original formation of the planet
First uses Paleolithic Age – hot springs bathing 3rd Century BC – oldest known spa 1st Century AD – public baths and under-floor
heating 14th Century – oldest district geothermal heating
system 1827 – earliest industrial exploitation
The Technology Behind Geothermal Energy
Electricity Generation Dry Steam Flash Steam - 360◦F or higher Binary Cycle – 225◦F to 360◦F
Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS)
Low Temperature or Co-Produced Resources
Heating and Cooling Agricultural Applications Direct Heating Heat Pumps
Current and Potential Usage
Electricity generating potential Estimates vary from 35 to 2,000 GW worldwide Doesn’t include non-electric heat recovered by
co-generation, geothermal heat pumps and other direct use.
Current worldwide installed capacity 10,900 MW (2011 est.)
2006 MIT Report | U.S. $1 Billion R&D investment over 15 years 100 GW electrical generating capacity by 2050.
Current and Potential Usage 2011 Earth Policy Institute Report
Geothermal source energy projected to double by 2015
Top 10 Geothermal Energy Locations (2010)
Rank Country Installed Capacity (MW)
National Energy Production (%)
1 United States 3,086 0.3
2 Philippines 1,904 27
3 Indonesia 1,197 3.7
4 Mexico 958 3
5 Italy 843 10
6 New Zealand 700 10
7 Iceland 575 30
8 Japan 536 0.3
9 El Salvador 204 14
10 Kenya 167 11.2
Source: Energy Digital (2012)
Conclusions Geothermal energy…
Cost effective, cleaner, reliable, sustainable, and environmentally friendly.
Historically limited to tectonic plate boundaries. Technological advances open potential for widespread
exploitation. Geothermal Energy can help mitigate global warming if
widely deployed in place of fossil fuels. Resources theoretically more than adequate to supply
worldwide energy needs. Future forecasts depend on assumptions about
technology, energy prices, subsidies, and interest rates. Only a very small fraction can be sustainably exploited.
ReferencesEnergy Digital (2012). Top Ten: Geothermal Energy Locations.
Retrieved March 19, 2013 from http://www.energydigital.com/top_ten/top-10-business/top-ten-geothermal-energy-locations.
Geothermal Education Office (2005). Retrieved March 19,2013 from http://geothermal.marin.org/.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (2006). The Future ofGeothermal Energy - Impact of Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS) on the United States in the 21st Century. Retrieved March 19, 2013 from http://geothermal.inel.gov/publications/future_of_geothermal_energy.pdf
National Renewable Energy Laboratory (2012). Retrieved March 19, 2013 from http://www.nrel.gov/learning/re_geo_elec_production.html
Roney, J. (2011). Geothermal Power Heating Up Worldwide.
Earth Policy Institute. Retrieved March 19, 2013 from http://www.earth-policy.org/plan_b_updates/2011/update98
Wikipedia (2013). Geothermal energy. Retrieved March 19,2013 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geothermal_energy.