THE HEAT BENEATH OUR FEET |
Geothermal Power Plant
Geothermal energy is a viable clean energy. Geothermal is the cheapest form of energy, according to data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration, but it’s not widely deployed. Traditional geothermal energy projects must be near places where the earth is hot relatively close to the surface. These hot spots, though, are limited geographically. Below mentioned some of the World “Hot Spot” area and Invema project Finance are current working on 12 projects, from 30 MW up to 850 MW. The three inventions that have brought geothermal energy on the table is:
Plants specifically use a second working fluid (hence, "binary") with a much lower boiling point than water. The binary fluid is operated through a conventional Rankine cycle. Generally, the working fluid is a hydrocarbon such as isopentane, or a refrigerant.
The geothermal fluid (predominantly water vapor) and working fluid pass through a heat exchanger, where the working fluid flashes to vapor and drives the turbines. The cooled water vapor is then released back into the underground reservoirs, so the cycle can begin anew. No gas is emitted to the atmosphere, as the binary cycle is a closed system. The binary cycle can operate with geothermal fluid temperatures ranging from 85°C to 170°C. With regards to the drilling, a new drilling head that last longer and drills faster than conventional methods have improved the task. It is estimated that the new technique can reduce drilling cost with as much as fifty to seventy per cent. The turbine is normally producing power at high level temperature, but a new turbine type can produce electricity at temperatures about hundred degrees Celsius. The most important thing is the constant power supply. Wind and solar energy cannot compose a constant source of energy, for obvious reasons. Geothermal energy drags power from the high-level temperature of the Earth’s core, which is profoundly constant. When the boreholes are drilled the heat from the Earth’s core will produce clean energy over the next decades without changes. Geothermal energy is completely CO2 neutral, and only thermal and nuclear energy are comparative as a constant energy source in a single process. The investment in nuclear energy is significant and the resistance among population is high. Thermal energy is a simple and clean energy source where the technology involved has been known and used for the last hundred years. United States
The Unites States has some very favorable geothermal resources available, however not used and with slow growth. The industry has about 3.7 GW of installed capacity, and 1.2 SW of Geothermal power under development The big opportunities is in Hawaii and California there have perfect geological conditions for Geothermal Power Plant. Philippines
The Philippines is the world’s second largest producer of geothermal energy for power generation, A new law provides fiscal and non-fiscal incentives to promote and accelerate the exploration, development and utilization of renewable energy resources which include geothermal energy. Hungary. For the most part, Central Europe has only low-enthalpy geothermal resources. Hungary, however, due to its unique geological position astride the Pannonian Basin, a “geothermal hot spot,” is the exception to the rule. While all of the country’s geothermal resources developed to date are low- and medium-enthalpy, a few high-enthalpy resources have been discovered. As yet, they remain undeveloped. |
Geothermal energy in Spain
A study by the University of Valladolid (Northwestern Madrid, Spain) said that geothermal energy can quintuple the current energy. Researchers at the University of Valladolid have estimated how much electricity could be obtained with the heat stored underground, the first ten miles of the mainland. The results indicate that about 700 gigawatts, which is five times the today entire installed capacity. Galicia, Castilla y Leon, Andalusia and Catalonia are the regions with the greatest potential. Latin America The entire west coast of Latin America belong to the volcanic arcs and oceanic trenches partly encircling the Pacific Basin form the so-called Ring of Fire. All the countries in this area are perfect for use of geothermal energy. Invema Project Finance
The team of Invema Project Finance consist of specialist with a long track record in this area, and Invema manage the financial aspects and control the implementation during the construction phase. The team involve following: VERKIS Reykjavík, the oldest consulting firm in Iceland and is one of the largest engineering firms in Iceland with around 300 employees. Verkís is a multidisciplinary consulting firm, providing services in all fields of engineering and related professional disciplines of consulting in geothermal and hydroelectric power as well as geothermal district heating, power transmission, buildings, transport, infrastructure and industry. Ever since the early 1930s, Verkís has participated in the engineering of most of Iceland's biggest and most prominent construction projects. KS ORKA, Reykjavík, Budapest, Belgrade, Jakarta, Shanghai, Singapore, is a project developer focused exclusively on the development of geothermal and waste heat projects. Orka’s experienced team has over 30 years of collective experience developing, managing and financing geothermal energy and power projects. KS ORKA combines its geothermal and project development expertise with Kaishan’s power plant technology and manufacturing expertise to form Asia’s first vertically integrated geothermal and waste energy company. ORMAT Technologies Inc. is a provider of alternative and renewable energy technology based in Reno, Nevada. The company built over 150 power plants and installed over 2,000 MW. The company's shares have been listed on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange since 1991, and the New York Stock Exchange since 2004. Ormat leads the global geothermal sector in exploring, designing, developing, building, and operating geothermal power plants around the world. With experience gained in more than 25 countries, and from working on dozens of different geothermal development scenarios, Ormat empowers clients with world-class, comprehensive understanding of how to maximize their geothermal resources and facilities. TerraCOH, which has its roots at the University of Minnesota, and been financed from the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of Energy. TerraCOH’s technology uses “supercritical” CO2 to efficiently unlock that thermal energy. Supercritical is a chemical state somewhere between a gas and a liquid. It’s dense and has a lower viscosity than water, so it flows easy. Oil companies’ use compressed CO2 to scour the last bits of petroleum from conventional wells TerraCOH’s patented geothermal technology could serve as a big underground battery, effectively storing renewable — but intermittent — wind and solar energy. Randolph’s adviser at the U of MN was Martin Saar, professor of earth sciences. The pair, along with Thomas Kuehn, U mechanical engineering professor, invented a renewable energy technology called CO2 Plume Geothermal. TerraCOH has also worked on its technology with researchers at Ohio State University and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California. Daldrup & Soehne AG is a Germany-Dutch based company that offers drilling and environmental services. It operates in the geothermic segment focuses on drilling to produce heat from beneath the earth’s surface and generate electricity. The Environment, Development, Service (EDS) segment specialises in the construction of gas extraction wells in waste disposal sites, research drilling, groundwater quality monitoring, water purification and the clean-up of contaminated soil at waste dumps and pits. |