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Topic: Geothermal energy


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  Geothermal Energy
Geothermal energy was first used to produce electricity in Italy in 1903.
Geothermal energy can be used as an efficient heat source in small end-use applications such as greenhouses, but the consumers have to be located close to the source of heat.
Geothermal energy has a major environmental benefit because it offsets air pollution that would have been produced if fossil fuels were the energy source.
www.eia.doe.gov /kids/energyfacts/sources/renewable/geothermal.html   (396 words)

  
  Geothermal power - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Another major geothermal area is located in south central California, on the southeast side of the Salton Sea, near the cities of Niland and Calipatria, CA.
Geothermal power is generated in over 20 countries around the world including Iceland (producing 17% of its electricity from geothermal sources), the United States, Italy, France, New Zealand, Mexico, Nicaragua, Russia, the Philippines, Indonesia and Japan.
Currently there are few geothermal resource areas capable of generating electricity at a cost competitive with other energy sources, particularly natural gas.
en.wikipedia.org /wiki/Geothermal_energy   (851 words)

  
 IGA International Geothermal Association
The geothermal steam was used to raise liquids in primitive gas lifts and later in reciprocating and centrifugal pumps and winches, all of which were used in drilling or the local boric acid industry.
Geothermal power plays a fairly significant role in the energy balance of some areas; for example, in 2001 the electric energy produced from geothermal resources represented 27% of the total electricity generated in the Philippines, 12.4% in Kenya, 11.4% in Costa Rica, and 4.3% in El Salvador.
The geothermal fluid is water, in the majority of cases meteoric water, in the liquid or vapour phase, depending on its temperature and pressure.
iga.igg.cnr.it /geo/geoenergy.php   (9819 words)

  
 Geothermal power -- Facts, Info, and Encyclopedia article   (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-21)
Geothermal power is (A physical phenomenon associated with stationary or moving electrons and protons) electricity generated by utilizing naturally occurring (Click link for more info and facts about geological) geological heat sources.
Another major geothermal area is located in south central California, on the southeast side of the Salton Sea, near the cities of Niland and Calipatria.
Geothermal areas without steam are called hot dry rock areas and methods for exploiting them are continuing.
www.absoluteastronomy.com /encyclopedia/g/ge/geothermal_power.htm   (803 words)

  
 Geothermal Education Office - Power From the Earth's Heat
Geothermal "fuel'" - like the sun and the wind - is always where the power plant is; economic benefits remain in the region and there are no fuel price shocks.
Geothermal water is used around the world, even when it is not hot enough to generate electricity.
Geothermal district heating systems pump geothermal water through a heat exchanger, where it transfers its heat to clean city water that is piped to buildings in the district.
geothermal.marin.org /pwrheat.html   (2146 words)

  
 Geothermal Energy
Geothermal energy is called a renewable energy source because the water is replenished by rainfall, and the heat is continuously produced by the earth.
Geothermal supporters say at least 400 MW more capacity is planned for the next five years and estimate that geothermal energy could provide 10 percent of the electrical capacity of the western United States by the turn of the century.
Geothermal features in national parks, such as the geysers and fumaroles in Yellowstone and Lassen National Parks, are protected by law, so geothermal energy is not tapped in these areas.
lsa.colorado.edu /summarystreet/texts/geothermal.htm   (1738 words)

  
 How Geothermal Energy Works
Tapping geothermal energy is an affordable and sustainable solution to reducing our dependence on fossil fuels, and the global warming and public health risks that result from their use.
There are three designs for geothermal power plants, all of which pull hot water and steam from the ground, use it, and then return it as warm water to prolong the life of the heat source.
Geothermal heat occurs everywhere under the surface of the earth, but the conditions that make water circulate to the surface are found only in less than 10 percent of Earth’s land area.
www.ucsusa.org /clean_energy/renewable_energy_basics/offmen-how-geothermal-energy-works.html   (2056 words)

  
 Geothermal Technologies Program: Geothermal FAQs
Energy can be extracted without burning a fossil fuel such as coal, gas, or oil.
Geothermal fields produce only about one-sixth of the carbon dioxide that a relatively clean natural-gas-fueled power plant produces, and very little if any, of the nitrous oxide or sulfur-bearing gases.
Geothermal power plants have average availabilities of 90% or higher, compared to about 75% for coal plants.
www.eere.energy.gov /geothermal/faqs.html   (853 words)

  
 Geothermal Energy
Geothermal energy is a proven resource for direct heat and power generation.
Geothermal resources may be especially important and significant in developing nations where no indigeneous fossil fuel resources exist such as oil, coal or natural gas.
Geothermal power projects are characterised by high capital investment for exploration, drilling wells and installation of plant, but low operating costs because of the low marginal cost of fuel.
www.worldbank.org /html/fpd/energy/geothermal   (2042 words)

  
 RNP: Renewable Energy Technology: Geothermal
The portion of geothermal energy that can easily be developed is trapped in saturated, fractured hot rocks near enough to the earth's surface to be reached by drilling.
Geothermal plants are the most reliable of all electricity sources, regularly operating at 90 percent or more of their rated capacity year-round.
New geothermal systems re-inject water into the earth after its heat is used, in order to preserve the resource and to contain gases and heavy metals sometimes found in geothermal fluids.
www.rnp.org /RenewTech/tech_geo.html   (1142 words)

  
 alternative.energy -- The Solutions, Now -- Geothermal Energy
Geothermal energy is the heat contained within the earth.
With today's technology, it would be impossible to access the energy that reside too deep within the earth, but the 840 000 000 000 W (2%) of geothermal energy that is accessible is sufficient for humans to use for a long period of time.
Although the utilization of geothermal energy has existed for more than a century, it has yet to be perfected.
library.thinkquest.org /26366/text/alternative/geothermal.html   (531 words)

  
 Geothermal Energy Association
Geothermal energy can be used for electricity production, for direct use purposes, and for home heating efficiency (through geothermal heat pumps).
Geothermal Heat Pumps (GHPs): Geothermal heat pumps are devices that take advantage of the relatively constant temperature of the Earth's interior, using it as a source and sink of heat for both heating and cooling.
Geothermal heat pumps can be used anywhere on Earth, and are considered by the EPA to be one of the most efficient heating and cooling systems available.
www.geo-energy.org /aboutGE/basics.asp   (1283 words)

  
 geothermal energy
Energy produced by the internal heat of the earth.
This energy can be taken from different depths: ground coupled heat pumps use the heat near the surface up to a few hundred meters deep.
Geothermal energy can be used directly for heating or to produce electric power.
daviddarling.info /encyclopedia/G/AE_geothermal_energy.html   (194 words)

  
 Other Renewables > Geothermal Energy
Geothermal energy is, literally, the heat of the earth.
The heat itself derives from radioactive decay beneath the earth's surface and, in certain locations, it is concentrated enough and is close enough to surface waters to be brought to the surface for a variety of purposes.
Geothermal energy is also available in several other forms.
www.azsolarcenter.com /otherre/geothm1.html   (483 words)

  
 Texas Geothermal Energy
Geothermal power is electricity generated by using naturally occurring heat derived from hot areas under the surface of the earth, which can manifest as hot dry rock, molten rock, hydrothermal (water and steam from geysers and fissures) and geopressure (water saturated with methane under tremendous pressure at great depths).
Geothermal electrical power generation has traditionally been more restricted to the western states where high temperatures are closer to the surface of the Earth.
Geothermal energy is accessed by drilling for water (photo) or steam, similar to drilling oil and gas wells.
www.seco.cpa.state.tx.us /re_geothermal.htm   (2169 words)

  
 Energy Resources: Geothermal
Geothermal energy has been used for thousands of years in some countries for cooking and heating.
Geothermal energy is an important resource in volcanically active places such as Iceland and New Zealand.
Geothermal energy does not produce any pollution, and does not contribute to the greenhouse effect.
www.darvill.clara.net /altenerg/geothermal.htm   (553 words)

  
 REPP-CREST : GEOTHERMAL
Geothermal energy is a form of renewable energy derived from heat deep in the earth’s crust.
As groundwater is heated, geothermal energy is produced in the form of hot water and steam.
Geothermal power generation is used today throughout the world where good geothermal resources exist, including many locations in the western United States.
www.crest.org /geothermal/index.html   (207 words)

  
 Geothermal Energy   (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-21)
Geothermal energy is an alternative energy source, although it is not resourceful enough to replace more than a minor amount of the future's energy needs.
Geothermal energy is obtained from the internal heat of the planet and can be used to generate steam to run a steam turbine.
Therefore, geothermal energy systems are more inefficient than other alternative energy sources because of the costs required in upkeep and the shortage of potential sites.
www.cc.utah.edu /~ptt25660/geo.html   (440 words)

  
 WEC Survey Of Energy Resources 2001 - Geothermal Energy
Presently geothermal energy is exploited by producing the underground water stored in permeable rocks from which it has absorbed available heat (hydro-thermal systems) or, in certain types of geothermal heat pumps, extracting heat directly from the ground.
The direct use of geothermal energy is not only inherently difficult to quantify but in some instances can be subject to constraints on reporting for reasons of confidentiality, etc. The statistics shown for both capacity and output should therefore be treated as, at best, indicative of the situation in a particular country.
Geothermal systems at San Kampaeng, Pai and nine other locations are reported to be under further investigation, but to date Thailand’s national programme on geothermal energy has still not been firmly established and no other developments have occurred.
www.worldenergy.org /wec-geis/publications/reports/ser/geo/geo.asp   (9465 words)

  
 Department of Energy - Geothermal
Geothermal energy is the heat from the Earth.
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.
Energy works in partnership with U.S. industry to establish geothermal energy as an economically competitive contributor to the U.S. energy supply.
www.energy.gov /energysources/geothermal.htm   (160 words)

  
 Renewable Energy Annual 1996
The basics of geothermal energy resources, electricity generation technology, and the state of the geothermal industry were reported by the Energy Information Administration in 1991 [58].
In 1995, the first issue of the Renewable Energy Annual [59] updated the status of various aspects of electricity generation from geothermal energy and reported preliminary data on direct consumption of geothermal energy [60].
Funding of energy extraction research has ended, primarily because equipment used to penetrate the magma is not certain to prevent a blowout, and a way to engineer the containment of such a high-pressure, high-temperature blowout is unknown.
eia.doe.gov /cneaf/solar.renewables/renewable.energy.annual/chap04.html   (2211 words)

  
 Geothermal Energy in Hawaii   (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-21)
Geothermal energy is believed to exist in large amounts on the Big Island and possibly the Island of Maui.
Geothermal wells are sometimes vented for a few hours to clear the well and pipe lines resulting in a temporary release of steam and abated gases.
Hot water from geothermal areas was used by the early Romans for their public baths, and for bathing, cooking, and heating by indigenous people in areas with surface geothermal features.
www.hawaii.gov /dbedt/ert/geo_hi.html   (2529 words)

  
 Geothermal Energy   (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-21)
Geothermal energy - heat from the earth - is an important energy source having environmental and economic advantages over fossil and nuclear energy sources.
There are nearly 70 geothermal power plants currently operating in California, Nevada, Utah, and Hawaii, with higher temperature geothermal resources present in most of the western U.S. and the Gulf coast.
Geothermally produced electricity provides an economic benefit to the nation, in that the electricity is dependable, has high availability for use, and is produced from a domestic source.
www.sustainableenergy.org /resources/technologies/geothermal.htm   (442 words)

  
 Geothermal Heat Pumps : ENERGY STAR
Geothermal heat pumps are similar to ordinary heat pumps, but use the ground instead of outside air to provide heating, air conditioning and, in most cases, hot water.
ENERGY STAR qualified geothermal heat pumps use about 40-60 percent less energy than a standard heat pump.
By choosing ENERGY STAR and taking steps to optimize the performance of your heating and cooling equipment, you are helping to prevent global warming and promoting cleaner air while enhancing the comfort of your home.
www.energystar.gov /index.cfm?c=geo_heat.pr_geo_heat_pumps   (291 words)

  
 Geothermal Energy - Conservation Policies - Sierra Club
Its availability for direct use and for conversion to other forms of energy is, however, presently restricted to the utilization of naturally occurring underground reservoirs of hot water or steam.
Additional problems arise from the heavily industrial character of geothermal operations for electrical generation; the frequent occurrence of exceptional natural, scenic, and archaeological values in geothermal resource areas; and the adverse effects that geothermal fluid removal may have on nearby hot springs and other natural thermal features.
Geothermal reservoir management procedures that will allow a balance to be maintained, where possible, between field recharge and heat and fluid withdrawal.
www.sierraclub.org /policy/conservation/geothermal.asp   (658 words)

  
 NREL: Learning - Geothermal Energy Basics   (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-21)
The Earth's heat—called geothermal energy—escapes as steam at a hot springs in Nevada.
Geothermal direct use — Producing heat directly from hot water within the earth.
Geothermal heat pumps — Using the shallow ground to heat and cool buildings.
www.nrel.gov /learning/re_geothermal.html   (192 words)

  
 CVO Menu - The Plus Side of Volcanoes - Geothermal Energy
This reservoir is thought to be the heat source for the Geysers geothermal field (on the southwest side of the volcanic field), which is the largest producing geothermal field in the world, with installed electrical generating capacity of around 2,000 megawatts in 1988, enough electricity for about two cities the size of San Francisco.
The Salton Buttes lie within the Salton Sea geothermal field, where temperatures at 1.5 to 2.5 kilometers reach 360 degrees C, and sediments of the Colorado River delta are begin metamorphosed to greenschist facies.
The Salton Sea geothermal field lies in the Salton Trough, the landward extension of the Gulf of California, an area of active crustal spreading.
vulcan.wr.usgs.gov /LivingWith/PlusSide/geothermal.html   (865 words)

  
 Consumer Energy Center Renewable Energy
Geothermal energy is produced by the heat of the earth and is often associated with volcanic and seismically active regions.
North of San Francisco, the Geysers was first tapped as a geothermal resource to generate electricity in 1960.
Additionally, two forms of geothermal energy - Hot Dry Rock and Magma - have the potential to provide thousands of megawatts in California.
www.consumerenergycenter.org /renewables/geothermal/index.html   (352 words)

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