Where is geothermal energy produced

Energy can be extracted without burning a fossil fuel such as coal, gas, or oil. Geothermal fields produce only about one-sixth of the carbon dioxide that a relatively clean natural-gas-fueled power plant produces, and very little if any, of the nitrous oxide or sulfur-bearing gases.

Binary plants, which are closed cycle operations, release essentially no emissions. Geothermal energy is available 24 hours a day , days a year. Learn more on our Energy Basics page. Answer: Because its source is the almost unlimited amount of heat generated by the Earth's core. Even in geothermal areas dependent on a reservoir of hot water, the volume taken out can be reinjected, making it a sustainable energy source. Answer : Hydrothermal resources - reservoirs of steam or hot water - are available primarily in the western states, Alaska, and Hawaii.

However, Earth energy can be tapped almost anywhere with geothermal heat pumps and direct-use applications. Other enormous and world-wide geothermal resources - hot dry rock and magma, for example - are awaiting further technology development. To see visual representations of geothermal energy sources, visit our maps page. Answer: Geothermal technologies offer many environmental advantages over conventional power generation:.

Emissions are low. Only excess steam is emitted by geothermal flash plants. No air emissions or liquids are discharged by binary geothermal plants, which are projected to become the dominant technology in the near future. Salts and dissolved minerals contained in geothermal fluids are usually reinjected with excess water back into the reservoir at a depth well below groundwater aquifers. This recycles the geothermal water and replenishes the reservoir.

The City of Santa Rosa, California, pipes the city's treated wastewater up to The Geysers power plants to be used for reinjection fluid.

This system will prolong the life of the reservoir as it recycles the treated wastewater. Some geothermal plants do produce some solid materials, or sludges, that require disposal in approved sites. Some of these solids are now being extracted for sale zinc, silica, and sulfur, for example , making the resource even more valuable and environmentally friendly.

Its potential production could reach at least 35GW and as high as 2TW. However, there are some drawbacks to the energy source. Despite low CO 2 production geothermal has been associated with other emissions like sulphur dioxide and hydrogen sulphide.

Similar to fracking, geothermal power plants have been the cause of mini tremors in the area they operate in and also has a high initial cost to build. As such, it is limited to countries such as the aforementioned US and Iceland, alongside Kenya and Indonesia. Join Our Newsletter Get important industry news and analysis sent to your inbox — sign up to our e-Newsletter here. Shortlists Fuel Cells Hydro Solar Wind.

Hot water geothermal reservoirs are the most common type. In a liquid-dominated reservoir, the hot water has not vaporized into steam because the reservoir is saturated with water and is under pressure. To generate electricity, the hot water is piped from geothermal wells to one or more separators where the pressure is lowered and the water flashes into steam. The steam then propels a turbine generator to produce electricity. The steam is cooled and condensed and either used in the plant's cooling system or injected back into the geothermal reservoir.

A binary cycle power plant is used when the water in a hot water reservoir is not hot enough to flash into steam. Instead, the lower-temperature hot water is used to heat a fluid that expands when warmed. The turbine is powered from the expanded, pressurized fluid. Afterwards, the fluid is cooled and recycled to be heated over and over again. Geothermal Energy Production and Economics. Geothermal energy is put to work in many places around the world.

The best known geothermal energy sources in the United States are located in western states and Hawaii. Some moderately hot geothermal resources also exist in the Dakotas, along the Atlantic coast, and in Arkansas and Texas. Someday we may be able to use these resource too. Most geothermal energy is produced in four states--California, Nevada, Utah, and Hawaii.

Today the total installed capacity of geothermal power plants in the United State is 3, megawatts MW That's the energy equivalent of three nuclear power plants. American geothermal power plants range in size from a few hundred kilowatts to more than megawatts. In , geothermal energy produced 18 billion kilowatt hours kWh of electricity, or 0. Still, this was enough to serve the electrical energy needs of over three million households. California gets six percent of its electricity from geothermal energy, more than any other state.

Geothermal supporters say geothermal energy production will grow in the s despite the fact that geothermal energy production peaked in and has since declined. Geothermal supporters say at least MW more capacity is planned for the next five years and estimate that geothermal energy could provide 10 percent of the electrical capacity of the western United States by the turn of the century.

Geothermal power plants can produce electricity as cheaply as some conventional power plants. It costs 4. In comparison, new coal-fired plants produce electricity at about four cents per kWh. Initial construction costs for geothermal power plants are high because geothermal wells and power plants must be constructed at the same time. But the cost of producing electricity over time is lower because the price and availability of the fuel is stable and predictable.

The fuel does not have to be imported or transported to the power plant. The power plant literally sits on top of its fuel source. Geothermal power plants are also excellent sources of baseload power. Baseload power is power that electric utility companies must deliver all day long. Baseload geothermal plants sell electricity all the time, not only during peakuse times when the demand for electricity is high.

Until recently, utilities were required to buy the least-cost electricity, without regard to environmental impacts.

Federal and state energy and environmental agencies are studying ways to give preference to nonpolluting energy sources such as geothermal energy. Geothermal Energy and the Environment. Geothermal energy is a renewable energy source that does little damage to the environment.