Geotherm

al Energy
Resource
Hot and Cold
 Heat is one of the types of energy that is dynamic,
transferable and can be converted into useful forms.
It is the product of random motion of particles that
are continuously colliding and vibrating. Heat
results to certain level of temperature (hotness or
coldness) of a given body. Observing the earth, as
you go down, tremendous heat will be experienced.
This is a result of radioactivity at its interior. The
heat generated beneath the ground is called
geothermal energy, that when harnessed can
generate electrical energy for community use. This
is possible when a geothermal power plant is
established equipped with technology that runs the
process of energy conversion.
The first step of harnessing geothermal energy into
usable electrical energy is to look for the possible
sites where the power plant can be situated.

 This is part of Mt.

Hengill in Iceland with
a total area of 100 sq.
kilometer. It is
extremely popular
site for hiker and hot
spring enthusiasts.
  It can be found
around Mutnovsky
Volcano in Russia.
The site normally
emits carbon
dioxide, sulfur
dioxide, hydrogen
chloride, and
hydrogen sulfide.
 This landform is the
famous Taal which is
one of most active
caldera volcanoes in
the country and in the
world. It recently
erupted last January
12, 2020.
 This is a famous geyser call the Great
Geysir in Iceland. The word geyser
originates from Icelandic verb gjo’sa,
meaning, ‘to gush’.
Harnessing Geothermal Energy

 Gettingdown beneath the ground, you will

experience increase in both temperature and
pressure. Thus, in putting up a geothermal
power plant, it is required to drill 1 to 2 miles
deep to pump steam or hot water into the
surface. At this depth, the power plant that
uses hydrothermal resources (having both
water and heat) can attain the required
temperature that is about 300 oF to 700 oF.
 Heat pump works depending on the season using water or a
refrigerant and obtaining the Earth’s constant temperature
(50 – 60 oF) below the ground. For instance, it makes the
house warm during winter and cold during summer
Read Me!
 1. The country’s potentiality to harness non-
renewable energy resources is dependent on its
geologic processes and features. For instance, the
presence of geologic features such as volcanoes
and fumaroles, hot springs, and geysers are
indicators that there are available passages for
geothermal energy to reach the surface of the
earth.
 2. Geothermal energy is the heat from the earth’s core
due to the slow decay of radioactive substances. Different
layers of the earth possess different temperatures as the
core found to be the hottest. This energy comes out to
the surface through the tectonic plate boundaries and
edges where most formation of volcanoes occurs. When
molten materials (magma) come out through the spaces
in between the plates, they heat up the ground water
suspended in the porous rocks. The process produces
steam (hydrothermal) that builds pressure needed to be
emitted to the surface through volcanoes. In this case,
Philippines, being one of the countries within the Ring of
Fire that encircles the Pacific Ocean, is rich in renewable
geothermal energy and has high potential to harness it
into electricity
 3. To test the capability of the area,
geologists apply several methods to
determine whether an area has potentiality
for geothermal reservoir. For instance,
drilling a well and measuring the
temperature (300 – 700 oF) is the most
reliable method before putting up a power
plant. If the obtained temperature is 50 – 60
oF, then, it can be used for household
purposes only like warming a house and
building during winter.
 4. Applications of geothermal energy can be
attained through either getting the surface
heat for heating purposes or drilling miles
beneath the ground for electricity
generation. There are three main types of
geothermal energy systems: 1) direct use
and district heating, 2) geothermal power
plants and 3) geothermal heat pumps.
 5. Direct use and district heating systems use hot
water from springs or reservoirs located near the
surface of the earth. Ancient Roman, Chinese, and
Native American cultures used hot mineral springs
for bathing, cooking, and heating. Today, many hot
springs are still used for bathing, and many people
believe the hot, mineral-rich waters have health
benefits. Geothermal energy is also used to directly
heat individual buildings and to heat multiple
buildings with district heating systems. Hot water
near the earth's surface is piped into buildings for
heat. A district heating system provides heat for
most of the buildings in Reykjavik, Iceland.
Industrial applications of geothermal energy include
food dehydration (drying), gold mining, and milk
pasteurizing.
 6. Geothermal power plants are generally
constructed where geothermal reservoirs are
located, within a mile or two from the earth's
surface. Geothermal power plants apply
hydrothermal resources that have both water
(hydro) and heat (thermal). People utilize these
resources by drilling wells into the earth and then
piping steam or hot water to the surface. The hot
water or steam powers a turbine that generates
electricity. Some geothermal wells are as much as
two miles deep depending on the availability of
sufficient geothermal source. There are three basic
types of geothermal power plants: 1) dry steam
plants, 2) flash steam plants and 3) binary cycle
power plants.
 7.Geothermal heat pumps apply the
constant temperatures near the surface of
the earth to increase and decrease the
temperature of buildings or houses.
Geothermal heat pumps transfer heat from
the ground (or water) into buildings during
the winter and reverse the process in the
summer with the use of refrigerant.
 8. The environmental effects of geothermal energy
depend on how geothermal energy is consumed or
how it is transformed into useful energy. Direct use
applications and geothermal heat pumps have
almost no negative effects on the environment. In
fact, they reduce the use of energy sources that
may have harmful effects the environment due to
emission of greenhouse gases. Geothermal power
plants do not burn fuel to generate electricity, so
the levels of air pollutants they exhaust are low.
Geothermal power plants emit 97% less acid rain-
causing sulfur compounds and about 99% less
carbon dioxide than fossil fuel power plants of
similar size. Geothermal power plants use scrubbers
to remove the hydrogen sulfide naturally found in
geothermal reservoirs. Most geothermal power
plants inject the geothermal steam and water that