Geothermal-uses

=    ﻿ ﻿ ﻿ ﻿ ﻿ ﻿ Geothermal Energy Uses  = = By Sanjana = = Introduction - = = Last week, the Stony Brook Science team visited Reykjavik, Iceland to discover how Geotherma﻿l energy works. [|Geothermal energy] is generated from the heat in the interior of the Earth. Naturally occuring large areas of hydrothermal resources are called reservoirs. Most geothermal resevoirs are deep underground with no visible clues showing above ground. But geothermal Energy sometimes finds its way to the surface in the form of volcanoes and fumaroles, hot springs and geysers. The major sources of Geothermal energy are found in areas along plate boundaries. It is also found near volcano and earthquake concentrations such as the Ring of Fire. Worldwide about 10, 715 megawatts of geothermal power is online in twenty- four countries such as United States, Germany, Japan, Turkey, Iceland, Phillippines, Kenya, Indonesia, El Salvador, etc. In United States, geothermal energy can be found in Hawaii, California, Nevada, Idaho, and Montana which makes it the largest producer of this energy in the world. = = Uses - = = People drill wells into the geothermal reservoirs to bring the hot water to the surface. Geologists, geochemists, drillers and engineers do exploring and testing to find underground areas that contain this geothermal water. Then, once the hot water or steam travels up the wells to the surface, they can be used to generate electricity in geothermal power plants. In geothermal power plants steam, heat or hot water from geothermal reservoirs provides the force that spins the turbine generators and produces electricity. There are four basic types of geothermal plants: [|Dry Steam Plants], [|Flash Steam Plants],[| Binary Cycle Plants]and [|Hybrid Power Plants]. Dry Steam Plants- These plants rely on the natural steam that comes from the underground resevoirs to generate electricity. The largest dry steam field in the world is //The Geysers//, about 90 miles north of San Francisco. Flash steam Plants- The water "flash" boils and the steam is used to turn turbines. Binary Cycle Plants- The plants use the water to heat a liquid which vaporizes and heats the liquid. Hybrid Power Plant- In this plant, binary and flash techniques are used simultaneously. = = There have been uses of Geothermal Energy ever since the ancient times. The ancient Romans, Chinese, Egyptians and Native Americans used hot spring water for cooking, bathing, and heating. Today, there are many uses of geothermal energy. =
 * = Aquaculture and Horticulture: ﻿Geothermal Energy is used in aquaculture and horticuture to raise wildlife and marine life in tropical environment in the form of steam and heat.﻿﻿ =
 * = Industry and Agriculture: Geothermal Energy is used in industry and agriculture. Timber is dried using heat acquired from geothermal energy, and paper mills use it for all stages of processing. It helps to grow flowers, vegetables and other crops in Greenhouse while snow drifts pile up outside. =
 * = Food Processing: The earth naturally contains an endless supply of heat and steam, which can be utilized to sterilize equipment and rooms for food processing. =
 * = Providing Heat for Resedential Use: The most common direct use of geothermal energy is for heating buildings through district heating systems. Hot water near the Earth's surface can be piped directly into buildings and industries for heat. A district heating system provides heat for 95% of the buildings in Reykjavik, Iceland. [|District heating systems]also serve homes in Russia, China, France, Sweden, Hungary, Romania, and Japan. =
 * = Electrcity Generation: Geothermal Power Station provides not just heat and steam, but electricity itself. Geothermal power generation is completely clean, and releases no harmful gas emissions whatsoever. =
 * = Small scale Industries: Geothermal Energy is also used to pasteurize milk, to dry onions, and to wash wool. =
 * = Muscle Pain: Geothermal Water is helpful to soothe aching muscles in hot spring, this is known as a health spa. =
 * = Helping Develping Countries: Geothermal Energy Projects help developing countries grow without pollution by bringing electricity to people far away from "electrified" population centers. =

= Cost-  = = One way to protect home against the rising costs of heating is the purchase of geothermal heating system. Although a geothermal system can initially cost more than installing comparable system that use fossil fuel, most homeowners see tremendous cost reduction over time. The average cost of [|geothermal heating system](GHS) depends on the installation of the unit itself and maintenance cost. According to United States Department of Energy, a typical three ton unit costs about $7,500 and maintenance cost for a GHS are about $0.90 per square foot of space. The cost of drilling can run from $10,000 to $30,000 depending on the terrain. Although some geothermal systems can cost more upfront than tradition heating and cooling system, the savings on utility due to geothermal's greater efficiency can pay for the system in five to ten years. Some banks allow larger loans for GHS installation. A GHS is about 30- 60% more efficient than a traditional heating system (HVAC). =

= Geothermal Energy is a clean, reliable and a flexible energy source. In the last couple of years geothermal has finally been given the recognition that it deserves. It is not just because there are so many potential geothermal energy uses, but because there is so much raw power ready to tap in with geothermal technology. Thousands more megawatts of power can be developed from hydrothermal resources. In the future, much more power will be available with the development of technology. =

= Other pictures and videos from the Science Expedition: = = media type="custom" key="8741546" media type="custom" key="8741724" = = Hyper Links: = []

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