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GEOTHERMAL ENERGY

The heat from the Earth. It's clean and sustainable. Resources of geothermal energy range from
the shallow ground to hot water and hot rock found a few miles beneath the Earth's surface, and
down even deeper to the extremely high temperatures of molten rock called magma.

WORKING PRINCIPLE OF GEOTHERMAL POWER PLANT

a. Wells Are Drilled


A production well is drilled into a known geothermal reservoir. Typically, an
injection well is also drilled to return used geothermal fluids to the geothermal
reservoir. Hot geothermal fluids flow through pipes to a power plant for use in
generating electricity.
b. Steam Turns the Turbine
Hot, pressurized geothermal fluid, or a secondary working fluid, is allowed to
expand rapidly and provide rotational or mechanical energy to turn the turbine blades
on a shaft.
c. The Turbine Drives the Electric Generator
Rotational energy from the turning turbine shaft is used directly to spin magnets
inside a large coil and create electrical current. The turbine and generator are the
primary pieces of equipment used to convert geothermal energy to electrical energy.
d. Transmission - Power Lines Deliver Electricity
Electrical current from the generator is sent to a step-up transformer outside the
power plant. Voltage is increased in the transformer and electrical current is transmitted
over power lines to homes, buildings, and businesses.

TYPES OF GEOTHERMAL POWER PLANT

a. Dry steam plants use steam directly from a geothermal reservoir to turn generator
turbines. The first geothermal power plant was built in 1904 in Tuscany, Italy, where
natural steam erupted from the earth.

b. Flash steam plants take high-pressure hot water from deep inside the earth and convert it
to steam to drive generator turbines. When the steam cools, it condenses to water and is
injected back into the ground to be used again. Most geothermal power plants are flash
steam plants.

c. Binary cycle power plants transfer the heat from geothermal hot water to another liquid.
The heat causes the second liquid to turn to steam, which is used to drive a generator
turbine.
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT OF GEOTHERMAL POWER PLANT
The utilization of energy from geothermal wells releases green house gases trapped in
the earth core such as carbon dioxide, hydrogen sulfide, methane, and ammonia. These
emissions are lower than those associated with the use of fossil fuels for which the adoption of
geothermal energy sources is considered to have the potential to mitigate global warming and
have a favorable impact on the environment.
CRITERIA FOR INSTALLATION OF GEOTHERMAL POWER PLANT
Acreage Requirement- the construction phase would require from 50 to 350 acres,
depending on the geothermal systems and the anticipated size of the power development.
Some of this disturbed land would be reclaimed once construction ends.
Emissions- it include dust and exhaust from combustion engines which is associated with
construction worker vehicle traffic. As wells are completed, well venting could result in
emissions of hydrogen sulphide, carbon dioxide, mercury, arsenic, and boron.
Waste Generation- waste would be limited to those generated by construction crews,
sanitary waste would be generated on site work force.
Water Needs- water would be used for controlling fugitive dust, making concrete and
supplying potable water for construction crew. Depending on the demand, water required
during construction would either trucked on the site or obtained from an on-site or near-
site source.
Workforce- the workforce required during construction would vary significantly over the
construction period, a few hundred workers should be on-site at any given time.
Time- construction of a large geothermal development would normally require about two
to four years. A pipeline or transmission line could take several months or more to
construct, depending primarily on its length.
Utility requirement- electrical power needs would be met by use of portable generators.

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