Page 8 - Seaview Village

GEOTHERMAL ENERGY

Geothermal Power Plants:
At a geothermal power plant, geothermal energy is used to turn a turbine which enables the
generator to produce electricity. There are types of geothermal power plants operating today.

The earliest design for The most common If the temperature
a geothermal power design for today’s of the underground
plant is the dry steam geothermal power water is less than
power plant. Still used plants is the flash 350°F, then a binary
today, the dry steam steam power plant. cycle power plant is
power plant uses the They extract very used. Water is pumped
steam directly from hot water from to the surface so it
the underground underground wells can heat another
geothermal reservoir, and pump it to the fluid that has a lower
or well. The steam surface under high boiling point, like a
comes up from the pressure. The hot hydrocarbon. Steam
well and turns the water is converted to from the second fluid
turbine. steam which turns the is used to turn the
turbine. turbine.
Direct Use of Geothermal Energy:
Direct use of geothermal energy involves piping hot groundwater from near the Earth’s surface
directly into a place where it can be used.
Building Greenhouses & Commercial and
Heating Fish Farming Industrial Uses

In place of traditional Vegetables, flowers Spa resorts opted in
heating systems, & all kinds of plants for one of the earliest
some individual are now grown in commercial uses of
buildings and even greenhouses heated geothermal – to heat
blocks of buildings w/ direct geothermal their pools. Many
use direct geothermal energy. By using industries have also
energy to heat up geothermal heat, found effective ways to
the buildings. Hot greenhouse operators use direct geothermal
water is distributed save on fuel costs. energy. Today,
through pipes in the Fish farmers have also geothermal heat is
building. This 800,000 found it effective to used to dehydrate
square foot shopping use geothermal heat food, to pasteurize
center is heated with to warm the waters for milk, to do laundry,
geothermal energy. their fish. and more.
Did you know?
• Some cities pipe hot groundwater under roads & sidewalks to melt snow
• Energy intensive industries—such as aluminum procession—are built
where geothermal power is available, e.g. Alcoa in Iceland
• Iceland heats most of its homes with geothermal power and produces
much of its electricity this way

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