5.089

Regardless of the excitement about expanding our self-sufficient, alternative, renewable energy resources, Federal laws are in place that, prevent tapping into all available and potential geothermal reservoirs.

On one hand, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), highly endorses geothermal heat pumps as the most “energy-efficient, environmentally clean, and cost-effective systems for temperature control.” The U.S. Department of Energy and the EPA have partnered with industry to promote using geothermal heat pumps.

Meanwhile, another branch of government says geothermal landmarks such as Mt. St Helen’s volcanic region and Yellowstone’s geysers and fumaroles are protected, by law, to prevent the land from being disturbed.

The degree of environmental impact the area or region experiences directly depends on the type of geothermal technology used. With that in mind, there are three geothermal power plant technologies that are currently used, which convert steam or water (depending on its temperature) into electricity. Geothermal plants may be

dry steam,

flash, or

binary cycle.

Dry steam plants use steam piped from drilled geothermal reservoir wells to turn the plant’s turbines to generate electricity. California has the largest dry steam reservoirs in the U.S. Tuscany, Italy was the site of the first geothermal power plant built in 1904 where natural steam exploded out of the ground.

The most common geothermal power generation plants are flash steam type. Extremely high temp water (exceeding 360°F. (182°C.)) converted to steam is pumped under high pressure to run the turbines. When the steam cools and reverts back into water, the water is injected into the ground to be reused.

Binary cycle power plants transfer the heat from geothermal hot water to another liquid, which is heated into steam. The steam, in turn, powers the generator turbine. The liquid, rather than the water, is converted into steam. Therefore, the water never comes in contact with the generator units.



Jason Grace
on behalf of the
BascoTec Internet Limited
Technologie Park 13
33100 Paderborn
Germany

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