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Description
jona nunez
11/20/07

Geothermal power is energy generated by heat stored beneath the earth's surface. The largest group of geothermal power plants in the world is located in the geysers, a geothermal field in california. as of 2007, geothermal power supplies less than 10% of the world's energy. three different types of power plants dry steam, flash, and binary are used to generate electricity from geothermal energy, depending on temperature, depth, and quality of the water and steam in the area.
Flash steam power plants use hot water above 182°C (360°F) from geothermal reservoirs. The high pressure underground keeps the water in the liquid state, although it is well above the boiling point of water at sea level. the water used in binary cycle power plants is cooler than that of flash steam plants, from 107 to 182°C (225-360°F). Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS), also known as hot-dry-rock systems, involve pumping water into hot rocks in the earth, rather than harvesting hot water already in the earth. this type of geothermal system has many advantages over the others, as it can be used anywhere, not just in tectonically active regions. However, it requires deeper drilling than the other forms of geothermal energy harvesting.
Geothermal energy offers a number of advantages over traditional fossil fuel based sources. from an environmental standpoint, the energy harnessed is clean and safe for the surrounding environment. from an economic view, geothermal energy is extremely price competitive in some areas and reduces reliance on fossil fuels and their inherent price unpredictability.
There are several environmental concerns behind geothermal energy. Construction of the power plants can adversely affect land stability in the surrounding region. This is mainly a concern with Enhanced Geothermal Systems, where water is injected into hot dry rock where no water was before. Dry steam and flash steam power plants also emit low levels of carbon dioxide, nitric oxide, and sulfur, although at roughly 5% of the levels emitted by fossil fuel power plants. However, geothermal plants can be built with emissions-controlling systems that can inject these gases back into the earth, thereby reducing carbon emissions to less than 0.1% of those from fossil fuel power plants.

Description
jona nunez
11/20/07

Geothermal power is energy generated by heat stored beneath the earth's surface. The largest group of geothermal power plants in the world is located in the geysers, a geothermal field in california. as of 2007, geothermal power supplies less than 10% of the world's energy. three different types of power plants dry steam, flash, and binary are used to generate electricity from geothermal energy, depending on temperature, depth, and quality of the water and steam in the area.
Flash steam power plants use hot water above 182°C (360°F) from geothermal reservoirs. The high pressure underground keeps the water in the liquid state, although it is well above the boiling point of water at sea level. the water used in binary cycle power plants is cooler than that of flash steam plants, from 107 to 182°C (225-360°F). Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS), also known as hot-dry-rock systems, involve pumping water into hot rocks in the earth, rather than harvesting hot water already in the earth. this type of geothermal system has many advantages over the others, as it can be used anywhere, not just in tectonically active regions. However, it requires deeper drilling than the other forms of geothermal energy harvesting.
Geothermal energy offers a number of advantages over traditional fossil fuel based sources. from an environmental standpoint, the energy harnessed is clean and safe for the surrounding environment. from an economic view, geothermal energy is extremely price competitive in some areas and reduces reliance on fossil fuels and their inherent price unpredictability.
There are several environmental concerns behind geothermal energy. Construction of the power plants can adversely affect land stability in the surrounding region. This is mainly a concern with Enhanced Geothermal Systems, where water is injected into hot dry rock where no water was before. Dry steam and flash steam power plants also emit low levels of carbon dioxide, nitric oxide, and sulfur, although at roughly 5% of the levels emitted by fossil fuel power plants. However, geothermal plants can be built with emissions-controlling systems that can inject these gases back into the earth, thereby reducing carbon emissions to less than 0.1% of those from fossil fuel power plants.