GEOTHERMAL ENERGY

Energy is the capacity to do work. It comes in various forms

such as thermal, light, kinetic, electrical, chemical, nuclear,
and gravitational.
 
Energy can be classified as renewable or nonrenewable.
○ Renewable energy sources are sources which can be
easily replenished for a short period of time, while
nonrenewable energy sources are sources which takes
long periods of time for it be replenished.
GEOTHERMAL ENERGY
Geothermal energy comes from the word “geo” which
means Earth and “thermal” which means heat. When
you put it together, geothermal literally means Earth’s
heat.

The heat referred to is the extreme amount of heat at

the Earth’s core. This heat energy can be harnessed
for human energy needs.
Converting Geothermal Energy into Electricity
Internal heat of the Earth can be utilized as
a source of energy. Geothermal energy
refers to this heat contained within the
planet although some use the term to
indicate the part of the Earth’s heat that can
be exploited and used by humans.
 
The use of geothermal energy came hand
in hand with the discovery that the
temperature within the Earth increases with
depth.
Three Main Elements of Geothermal Energy
Heat Source. Heat source is the source of heat which can be in the
form of magmatic intrusion which has temperatures greater than
600 degree Celsius and has reached relatively shallow depths.
Reservoir. Reservoir refers to the layers of permeable rock capped
by impermeable rock but is connected to a surficial recharge area.
The recharge area is the source of meteoric water or the water
derived from precipitation.
Geothermal Fluid. Geothermal fluid usually occurs in the form of
water or meteoric water which can be liquid or steam depending on
the temperature and pressure conditions.
 ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF
USING GEOTHERMAL ENERGY
● Geothermal power plants do not require the use of
fuels to generate power thus present significant cost
saving.
● One main advantage of the use of geothermal
energy is that it is a clean source of energy. Unlike
burning fuels, geothermal power plants do not
produce huge amounts of pollutants. The utilization
of geothermal energy could help create a better and
cleaner environment.
● Geothermal energy is a renewable source of
energy. It uses internal heat of the Earth which is
available in many areas worldwide.
● Although geothermal power plants are simpler and
cleaner, they are not widely used because of some
disadvantages.
● One problem that other countries face is the
unavailability of equipment, staff, infrastructures,
and trainings. To extract geothermal fluids,
installation of geothermal power plant is required.
This costs high amounts of money as it requires
certified installers and skilled staff and a great
deal of investment.
● If companies fail to do extensive research prior
to setting up geothermal power plants, steam may
run out. This happens if temperature drops or too
much water is injected to the rocks.
● Geothermal energy is hard to transport that is
why extracted energy will be limited to
surrounding areas only.
HYDROELECTRIC ENERGY
HYDROELECTRIC ENERGY
Hydroelectric came from the word "hydro"
which means water and "electric" which
denotes generation of electricity.

Combining it, the word hydroelectricity means

generation of electricity by using the energy
from the flowing water.
Converting Hydroelectric Energy into Electricity
Hydroelectric power plants are the sites where the
generation of electrical power through the use of
gravitational force on flowing water is done. It is the
most widely used form of renewable energy which
accounts for 16% of the global electricity generation.
ELEMENTS OF A
HYDROELECTRIC POWER PLANT
 
A typical hydroelectric power
plant has three main
elements: a reservoir where
water is stored, a dam which
can be opened or closed and
an electric plant where
electrical energy is
produced.
ELEMENTS OF A HYDROELECTRIC POWER PLANT

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rotate
 TYPES OF A HYDROELECTRIC POWER PLANT

3. Pumped storage type works like a

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 ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES
OF USING HYDROELECTRIC ENERGY
The use of hydropower also imposes some
Hydropower is the most used renewable disadvantages.
energy source in the world. Its utilization
presents several advantages. 1. The first concern is environmental
consequences. Interventions in nature may be
1. Hydroelectric energy is renewable and required in building dams. The natural course of
only needs suitable reservoirs to rivers may be changed to allow inlet of water.
Habitats of fishes may also be affected as a
provide electricity. result of the changes in velocity of water and
2. There are no significant amounts of water level.
pollutants that are produced in the 2. Operation of hydroelectric power plants will
production of hydropower. ultimately be affected by drought.

3. Production of hydropower is flexible. At 3. Not all rivers and canals can be utilized for the
production of hydropower. There is a limited
periods of low demand for electricity, number of reservoirs which can be used to
water flow may be reduced. economically recover electricity.