Enhanced Geothermal Systems (Technology that utilizes geothermal energy)

     A type of technology that utilizes this form of energy is Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS). EGS works by drilling an “injection well” 4 to 10 kilometers deep, until reaching temperatures of 200 C from the hot rock below. Then high pressurized cold water is pumped down, creating fissures in the barely permeable rock. The water is then heated up by the hot rocks and creates a large reservoir of very hot geothermal fluid. Next, another hole (with similar depths to the first one) is drilled nearby and pumps the heated fluid back to the surface. As the fluid rises, the pressure decreases and it turns to steam. Finally, the steam can be captured and run a series of turbines to generate electricity. If there is ever any excess water, it can be returned back to the reservoir, which creates a “closed loop” system.

     This is an environmentally sustainable technology because it does not emit pollution or gas emissions because it is a closed loop system! The closed loop reuses the materials again and again, without releasing any harmful by-products. In addition, if one geothermal plant runs out of heat, they can drill new holes a few kilometers away and the Earth will reheat the previous area. Unlike fossil fuels, they do not damage the surrounding area either because power plants are built directly on top of the geothermal resources, so no additional land is needed. The surrounding land is also untouched, so it can be used for “complementary means”.  Also, EGS can use local wastewater and reduce water pollution in nearby communities. To summarize, the EGS is a very environmentally sustainable technology because will not emit any harmful by-products and reuse its materials because it’s literally in a “world of it’s own” (closed-loop system hint hint), it will not negatively impact the surrounding area and takes very little space compared to land use of coal and other fossil fuels, and there is limitless geothermal potential energy that can power the world 24/7.

Disadvantages

The disadvantages of this energy source to the community/environment:

• to use geothermal energy effectively, we need to learn more about controlling the expansion of fissures in deep rock formations and how they might react after the extraction of large amounts of heat
• digging process is very costly; huge financial investment
• most often requires leasing of land to install the pipes (unless its one’s home)
• deep drilling operations may cause earthquakes or volcanic activity
• bringing underground water to the surface could contaminate local water supplies and the ground

Advantages & Sustainability

The advantages of this energy source to the community/environment are:

• little to carbon-free energy production
• no high-tech planning (simple requirements such as pipes, compressors, and labor)
• with EGS, it is accessible almost anywhere (as long as you dig far enough)
• harnessed in many different ways (for ex., can be used to heat/cool a home and can also be use to generate electricity!)
• when accessed, it is available all day, every day, year-round
• there’s more than enough accessible EGS energy to power the entire planet for thousands of years (according to a recent MIT report)

     This is an energy source that will be beneficial to us in the future because it will not run out, like fossil fuels and coal, because heat is constantly generated by the core of the Earth. As long as there is heat beneath us, we can utilize the heat energy to warm our homes or generate steam to power electricity-generating turbines. In other words, geothermal energy is a sustainable energy source and will be beneficial to us in the future because it cannot run out, it doesn’t contribute to global warming, and it can now be accessed almost anywhere in the world.

Present Utilization of Geothermal Energy

Here are a few of the uses of geothermal energy in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and the World:

     A building development called Planet Traveler, a hotel in a dense part of downtown Toronto, used geothermal energy to control the building’s heating and cooling. They made an agreement with the city council of Toronto, which allowed them to bury 1,200 metres of pipes in 10 holes in the adjacent publicly owned lane way besides the hotel. (This wiring of pipes allows warm air to go down and cools to act as an air conditioner, but when it gets cold, cold air goes down and heats up and acts as a heater. They call this the geo-exchange method; the entire heating/cooling system is a renewable, efficient, and clean technology.)

In Ontario, there are geothermal contracting companies, such as Geo Energy Solutions Inc., that will assist in drilling holes and assembling the pipes. “We have drilled over 500,000 feet of geothermal borehole in Ontario. Our projects range in size from less than 10 boreholes to over 200 boreholes.” notes the Geo Energy Solution Inc.

In Canada, there are qualifying geothermal sources used to produce electricity located in British Columbia. Many geothermal energy plants are located within or near the Pacific Ring of Fire.

     In the world, there are thousands of places where people use geothermal energy either to heat or cool their homes and generate electricity. New technologies such as Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS) are being further developed so that harnessing geothermal energy can be available no matter the location. In other words, scientists are looking forward to improving geothermal energy so that it is not limited to places where high-temperature water and steam are close to the surface, near volcanoes or exposed in the Earth’s crust.

In general, geothermal energy is one of the most popular direct-use energy source. This means that people can directly use geothermal energy for things like bathing/swimming/spas, greenhouse heating, aquaculture, and more!

History of Geothermal Energy Electrical Production

This energy source has been around as a way to produce electricity since 1904, where the first electric generator powered by geothermal steam was installed in Larderello, Italy. Since then, more efficient technologies have helped produce electricity without any emissions, like EGS (Enhanced Geothermal Systems).

Other notable developments into an electrical energy source:

1904 – The first electric generator powered by geothermal steam is installed in Larderello, Italy, and becomes the world’s first geothermal power plant

1958 – Wairakei geothermal field, located in the middle of New Zealand’s North Island, was commissioned in 1958. It was the world’s second large-scale geothermal facility.

1960 – The first geothermal power plant in the United States opens at the Geysers in Northern California.

1972 – The Geothermal Energy Association is established as a trade association for US companies to promote the use of geothermal energy worldwide.

1975 – Drilling begins to assess high-temperature geothermal resources for electricity generation in British Columbia.

1976-1986 – Ten-year federal research program assesses geothermal energy resources, technologies and opportunities for Canada.

1981 – Ormat Technologies successfully demonstrates binary technology [EGS] in the Imperial Valley in California and establishes the technical feasibility of larger-scale commercial binary power plants.

1988 – After several years of expansion, production at the Geysers peaks at about 2,000 mega-watts.

1990 – Ontario Hydro funds a program to install geothermal heat pumps in 6,749 residences not served by natural gas.

“We believe EGS…

“We believe EGS [enhanced geothermal system] is a clean, renewable energy alternative capable of reducing our country’s dependance on fossil fuels and creating a more sustainable future.”

– Donald O’Shei, Chief Executive Officer of AltaRock Energy

Description of Geothermal Energy

Geothermal energy is a renewable energy source. From geysers to hot springs, as long as there is a magma plume beneath groundwater, heat and steam can be naturally occurring. We can obtain geothermal energy by forcing large amounts of heated water and steam to the surface and use it to drive steam turbine generators to produce electricity. These steam turbines will spin from the steam pushed against it and power the generator. Then these generators will pass the electricity produced into our homes for us to use.

Geothermal energy can also be helpful to naturally heat up homes and create natural hot springs to enjoy as well!