The energy everyone is looking for: we have it, and is the new oil in Iceland
Geothermal energy are thermal energies inherently and stored in the Earth. It is a kind of energy that is replenishable and capitalizes on thermal energy of the planet which it has evolved using from within the core of earth. Continuously radiating heat is the internal process of the earth.
This term is (the) Greek word “geothermal” which constitutes two parts, Greek word “geo” meaning earth and “therme” meaning heat. Energy that is produced from the hot mid earth layer composed of melted rocks and called magma is called the geothermal energy.
The thermal fluid in the reservoirs can go well over 1200°F cooling them down. Geothermal plants exploit the heat of underground reservoirs of hot water/steam in order to generate electricity among other things. From production, the hot water is transported through the source wells that penetrate the reservoir.
Geothermal energy in United States: the potential we can grow
As of 2021, geothermal energy in the United States had an installed capacity of only around 3,700 MW and derived a minor part of total U.S. electricity generated. The geothermal expertises are recommended to grow rapidly in the near future.
Geothermal power ranking has almost 27 times expansion by 2050, reaching approximately 100,000 MW (DOE of the U.S.) GEA, a geothermal energy association, envisions growth in the form of moderate expansion but anticipates it in a broader scale of approximately 21,000 MW of geothermal capacity by the year 2050.
A range of facts such as renewables maintenance, more efficient liquefied gas power plants, and subsidy-free onshore wind farms drive such prognoses. First, modern techniques like the enhanced geothermal systems (EGS) allow extraction of geothermal resources that have been there all along but were not economically working.
Another factor that makes geothermal an appealing baseload power source is the power station’s reliability. This is crucial as utilities incorporate the intermittent power capacity of renewables like wind and solar. Last and not least, increasing the demand for clean technology will heighten the search for zero emission sources.
The largest geothermal energy in the United States: more than 900 MW
The US has just commissioned the largest geothermal power plant in the entire world, an undertaking that spans 900 megawatts and is situated in the LA area of the Imperial Valley in California. The system at the plant is called an enhanced geothermal system (EGS) and it enables the production of the geothermal energy.
EGS models work by sending water underground to the depths of hot rocks and drilling wells to widen the cracks through which the heat from the reservoir can get to the surface. The high-temperature water that emerges is redirected upwards so that it can be fed into a turbine and used to generate electricity.
These are Coming to the Sonoran Energy Center and Calipatria II, which together give out a 900 MW power. These 13 turbines alone would generate enough electricity to serve about 675 000 households. The project worth $1bn has been highly applauded as a giant leap into geothermal energy in the US.
It is obvious that geothermal energy in the United States is an opportunity for the future, but it is even more obvious that we have an incredibly large and favored area to explore it. Places like Yellowstone remind us how we are getting closer and closer to achieving a carbon neutral footprint, betting on renewables and giving way to exploration and exploitation projects that are really promising,.
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