Abstract:
Geothermal energy is the earth’s natural heat available inside the earth. This thermal energy contained in the rock and fluid that filled up fractures and pores in the earth’s
crust can profitably be used for various
purposes. Heat from the Earth, or geothermal — Geo (Earth) + thermal (heat) energy can be and is accessed by drilling water or steam wells in a process similar to drilling
for
oil.
Geothermal energy
is an
enormous, underused
heat
and
power
resource
that is clean (emits little or no greenhouse gases), reliable (average system availability of 95%), and homegrown (making us less dependent on foreign oil).
Geothermal
resources range from
shallow ground to hot water and rock several miles below the
Earth's surface, and even farther down to the extremely hot molten rock called magma. Mile-or- more-deep wells can be drilled into underground reservoirs to tap steam
and very hot water that
can
be brought to the surface for use in a variety of applications.
Costs for geothermal electricity generation are 4.5-7 cents
per
kilowatt-hour.
This is
competitive with some fossil fuel facilities, but one must keep in mind the drastic reduction of pollution.
Delivered costs depend on ownership arrangements, financing, transmission, the quality of
the resource, and the size of the project.Geothermal plants
are relatively capital-intensive, with low variable costs
and no fuel costs.
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