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What is Geothermal Power?
Geothermal power is energy generated by heat stored in the earth. Geothermal companies drill wells down into the earth to utilize this energy to generate power without polluting the environment.
Where is geothermal power found?
Geothermal heat can be harnessed for clean electrical power generation wherever there is high heat flow in deep, fractured rock formations and a shallower, non-fractured or sealed caprock. Resources of geothermal energy range from shallow ground to hot water & hot rock found a few miles beneath the earth's surface and down even deeper to the extremely high temperatures of molten rock called magma.
What are the 3 types of geothermal power plants?
There are three types of geothermal power plants: dry steam, flash steam, & binary cycle. NGP's Blue Mountain project is a binary cycle power plant. The diagram below shows how this plant works.
How do Binary Cycle Geothermal Power Plants work?
A binary power plant is a closed-loop heat exchange system.
- Typically production wells are drilled down 4,000 to 8,000 feet (1200 -- 2400 metres)
- Hot water (primary fluid) is brought to the surface
- The geothermal fluid heat is transferred to a heat-exchanger that contains a secondary fluid that has a lower-boiling point
- The secondary fluid is vaporized and used to drive a turbine/generator to produce electricity
- The water is then re-injected to recharge the reservoir
- The process is continuous.
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