What is Geothermal Energy?
The definition of geothermal energy is “heat energy stored beneath the earth’s surface”, according to this webpage from the Government of Canada webpage. As it is a renewable form of energy, geothermal energy can be replenished and generally does not get used up.
According to the Government of Alberta, the first time that geothermal energy was harnessed for industrial use was in 1818, when a French engineer, François Jacques de Larderel, developed a brand new method to “extract boric acid from hot springs.” Since then, many more power plants have emerged all around the world. Check out this webpage for some more information about geothermal energy!
The Different Types of Geothermal Power Plants
There are three main different types of power plants using geothermal energy: dry steam plants, flash steam plants, and binary cycle power plants. The dry steam plants directly utilize the steam coming right out from a geothermal reservoir in order to push its generator turbines and generate energy. This type of power plant was first built in 1904 in Italy.
Now, the flash steam plants “take high-pressure hot water” from underneath Earth’s surface, in order to convert to steam to generate electricity. This type of power plant is the most abundant around the world, because after the steam cools, the water it turns into can be “injected back into the ground” for reuse.
The binary cycle power plants still utilize the heat from the hot water below the ground, but do so by transferring this heat into a secondary fluid, which then evaporates into steam and turn the generator turbines.
For all of these types of power plants, the heat of a geothermal reservoir is used to generate steam; this step is very important, as electricity can only be generated if the turbines are spinning. However, this only occurs if the force from the steam pushes the turbines.
Geothermal Energy in the Canadian Context
In Canada, the highest temperature geothermal resources are in Western Canada, specifically in “British Columbia, Northwest Territories, Yukon, and Alberta.” Although Canada possesses large geothermal energy resources, the Government states that “more data is required” to learn about many regions’ land’s features and characteristics. Currently, several geothermal power generation projects are under development.
Conclusion
Geothermal reservoirs truly provide great potential for the production of energy. Renewable types of energy, like geothermal energy, are more sustainable. Geothermal energy is especially prevalent in the regions that are close to tectonic plate boundaries.