Thursday, 14 April 2011

Geothermal Energy: What's So Great About It?

Geothermal energy is the heat, which is generated from the outer layer of the earth. The products, steam and the hot water are both valuable resources, which can be practically used for generating electricity. These resources are renewable and the heat and the energy is constantly produced, therefore can be utilized for various purposes. There are many benefits of using geothermal energy and one of them is to use this energy for heating large structures.

Interestingly, the thermal power plants do not require fuel. The hot water produced is readily available from the earth reservoir, which gives a constant supply. Environmentally, this is a very effective source of power, as it does not involve any kind of pollution. The power generating plants are high technology techniques, whereas the geothermal technology is much simpler and needs minimum area. The electricity can be produced without contaminating the environment.

The hot water reservoirs can be used by drilling the wells into them, and the supply of this source is uninterrupted and useful for generating the electricity. This type of power is very useful for the remote areas, where the power can be supplied constantly using this technology. The steam produced is used to power the generators and the turbines. One of the major advantages is the cost, which is quite low as compared to running other plants, as the equipment required can be fabricated in house.

The power is generated by using the concept of heating cold water using the internal heat of the earth.This results in producing steam, because of the presence of high temperatures inside the earth. This steam rises back to the surface and can be utilized for performing various activities.

There are several benefits, which include the economic and environmental prospects. The clean power is one of them, as it does not require any fossil fuels to run. Economically, the running of these plants is not very expensive and the governments offer tax benefits to encourage its use. Many opportunities in the development area are created.

The various types of sources available include solar, wind, hydroelectric etc. But the clean source is the geothermal which can be utilized for various activities related to agriculture such as growing flowers. This source is even used for raising fishes.

For long time, the burning fossil fuels like coal have been used to generate power, but the concept is changing towards renewable source. The advantage of geothermal energy include its constant availability, which can be utilized in various forms.

No comments:

Post a Comment