Geothermal energy harnesses heat from the Earth's core to generate electricity. It is a renewable source of energy found in locations where tectonic plates meet and magma is close to the surface. There are three main ways geothermal power plants operate - dry steam plants that use steam directly, flash steam plants that use heated water that flashes to steam, and binary cycle plants that use hot water to boil a secondary fluid to drive turbines. While geothermal energy is renewable and does not produce emissions, developing plants may cause earthquakes and reservoirs must be carefully managed for energy production to remain sustainable.
Geothermal energy harnesses heat from the Earth's core to generate electricity. It is a renewable source of energy found in locations where tectonic plates meet and magma is close to the surface. There are three main ways geothermal power plants operate - dry steam plants that use steam directly, flash steam plants that use heated water that flashes to steam, and binary cycle plants that use hot water to boil a secondary fluid to drive turbines. While geothermal energy is renewable and does not produce emissions, developing plants may cause earthquakes and reservoirs must be carefully managed for energy production to remain sustainable.
Geothermal energy harnesses heat from the Earth's core to generate electricity. It is a renewable source of energy found in locations where tectonic plates meet and magma is close to the surface. There are three main ways geothermal power plants operate - dry steam plants that use steam directly, flash steam plants that use heated water that flashes to steam, and binary cycle plants that use hot water to boil a secondary fluid to drive turbines. While geothermal energy is renewable and does not produce emissions, developing plants may cause earthquakes and reservoirs must be carefully managed for energy production to remain sustainable.
1. Introduction: What is it? What is Geothermal Energy? Well, Geothermal Energy is energy that is created in the middle of the earth, (Fig. 2) which is the core. The major source of Geothermal energy is the heat from molten underground rock or magma. The water thats near the magma is heated to high temperature and gets hot, and then the water vapours rise up through cracks, some people drill wells or cracks in the ground on purpose, they can use the hot water and the steam to power up electricity and also to heat up buildings. Its a form of renewable energy. Renewable energy is energy that can be reproduced or can be made and it is infinite. Geothermal energy is renewable because the earths core always keep producing magma, but people use its steam, like we said before.
3. Harnessing it: How People use Geothermal Energy!
There are three ways people use geothermal energy. There is Dry Steam Plants (Fig. 1) , the steam from water will be transported using a pipe and is converted to energy directly. That is the easy one. Then there is Flash Steam Plants (Fig. 3) . Flash Steam Plants used the heated water steam. When the steam goes up and goes to the turbines and then it produces electricity. Then the steam was condensed to water and it injects it back. And the last one is Binary Cycle Power Plant (Fig. 4) Binary Cycle Power Plants uses hot water and then it change it to another liquid and then it the other liquid produce steam to turn the turbines to produce electricity. (Some History) The geothermal power plant was made by Prince Piero Ginori Conti. He made it because he wanted to test magma and to use it because of the devastation destruction that lava made. Then He build a prototype machine that use geothermal energy for the first time. 4. The Good and Bad:
Fig 2
Fig 3
Geothermal energy is environmental friendly and doesnt
cause that much pollution. Geothermal reservoirs are natural and geothermal energy is renewable! Harnessing Geothermal energy requires no fuels! Which saves money! Geothermal plants cause earthquakes Geothermal power is only renewable when the reservoirs are well managed. Fig 1
2. Where its Found:
Geothermal energy is found at the inner core of the earth, (Fig. 2) You might think that Earth has a normal iron core but it has hot magma, even hotter than the sun! And that is why where geothermal energy found or made at the earth. You can find geothermal energy almost anywhere! If you dig down and down you will not find space, but you will find magma! Sites and Sources: http://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/energy/ geothermal-energy-info.htm http://geothermalprosandcons.net/history-of-geothermalenergy/ http://www.eia.gov/kids/energy.cfm?page=geothermal_home http://www.eia.gov/KIDS/energy.cfm?page=about_ http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/geothermal-energy/ tech.htmlhttp://www.sciencekids.co.nz/sciencefacts/energy/ geothermalenergy.html http://energyinformative.org/geothermal-energy-pros-andcons/ Fig 1: http://www.iowaenergycenter.org/wp-content/uploads/ 2013/06/dry-steam1.jpg Fig 2: http://science.jrank.org/kids/article_images/ earth_p26.jpg Fig 3: http://www.iowaenergycenter.org/wpcontent/uploads/2013/06/flashsteam1.jpg United States Fig 4: http://www.iowaenergycenter.org/wpGeothermal content/uploads/2013/06/binary-cycle.jpg Energy Use 2014 Fig 4 New Mexico : 0.1 California : 76% Nevada : 18% Utah : 13% Hawaii : 2% Oregon : 1%