Renewable. Sustainable. Reliable.
Geothermal Energy
- Geothermal energy is produced inside the earth. It can be in different kinds of forms such as geysers, volcanoes, & hot springs.
- There are 3 main ways which are used to extract geothermal energy from underneath: Dry Steam, Flash Steam, & Binary Power Plant.
- Many countries around the world are efficiently using this kind of energy including: Japan, Mexico, Indonesia, & France.
- The US also uses geothermal methods, but it supplies only about 1% of our energy. Can we make a change? Use YOUR potential.
How Geothermal Power Works
Cost
- The cost of actually building a geothermal plant is the bulk of the expenses; the cost of the fuel to maintain it is not that much. The initial cost for the field and power plant is around $2,500 per installed kW.
- The cost for a small (<1Mwe) power plant is $3,000 to $5,000/kWe
- Operating and maintenance costs from $0.01 to $0.03 per kWh
- Most geothermal power plants can run at greater than 90% availability (producing more than 90% of the time), but running at 97% or 98% can increase maintenance costs. Higher-priced electricity justifies running the plant 98% of the time because the resulting higher maintenance costs are recovered.
Energy 101: Geothermal Energy
DISCLAIMER
Only remains sustainable if reservoirs are properly managed; is very location specific, so prime sites are often far away from population centers and there may be losses due to long distance transmission of electricity; minimum geothermal fluid temperature of 300 degrees Fahrenheit required; in extreme cases may cause earthquakes.
Sources
https://www3.epa.gov/climatechange/kids/solutions/technologies/geothermal.html
http://energyinformative.org/geothermal-energy-pros-and-cons/
http://www.triplepundit.com/special/energy-options-pros-and-cons/geothermal-energy-pros-cons/#
http://energy.gov/eere/geothermal/geothermal-faqs#cost_to_develop_geothermal_power_plant
http://www.conserve-energy-future.com/GeothermalEnergyFacts.php