Tag: Geothermal

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The Ten Forms of Energy on Earth
December 11, 2010

1. BIOFUELS

   Biofuels are made from harvesting plants, large and small, and animal fats of all kinds. Living matter is made up of carbon molecules, which is the source of much of our energy.

   • Comes from:

     Plants and foods like: sugar, soybeans, all grains like corn, rice, wood pellets, algae, body fat from chickens, cows, pigs and animal poop which has plants and grains in it.

   • Used for:

     Through breaking down the molecules with heat and pressure some biofuels are distilled into liquid fuel, like ethanol. Enzymes can also break down or eat biomass and the waste products can be converted through bio-chemical reactions into fuel. Biomass can make liquid fuel, natural gas, crude oil, chemicals and even coal.

   • Trade offs:

     Can use more energy to create fuel than they make available; can also cost a lot more to produce than other forms of fuel, such as gasoline.

2. COAL

   Coal is a combustible, burnable, black or brownish-black sedimentary rock composed mostly of carbon and hydrocarbons. It is the most abundant of the fossil fuels.

   • Comes from:

     These were formed from animals and plants that lived millions of years ago.

   • Used for:

     Heat by burning it to make steam to turn a turbine that makes electricity or gas by pressurizing it under heat, which is then burned in a turbine to make electricity.

   • Trade-offs:

     Any energy source from plants and animals has carbon in it. When burned coal sends a lot of carbon into the air. Coal in rock form is cheap. Capturing the carbon dioxide can get expensive.

3. GEOTHERMAL

   Geothermal energy comes from hot magma below the surface of the earth. When volcanoes erupt we see geothermal energy in action.

   • Comes from:

     Magma, or molten liquid, rock and the radioactive decay of uranium, thorium, and potassium. Magma is hot because of the tremendous amount of friction and pressure to be found in the earth's subsurface area.

   • Used for:

     Heat source

   • Trade offs:

     Difficult to harness and use consistently.

4. HYDROGEN

   Hydrogen is the simplest element in nature. It is the most plentiful gas in the universe. Stars like the sun are made primarily of hydrogen. The sun is basically a giant ball of hydrogen and helium gases. In the sun's core, hydrogen atoms combine to form helium atoms. This process — called fusion — gives off radiant energy.

   • Comes from:

     Water, which is composed of two atoms of Hydrogen combined with one atom of Oxygen (H2O). Also it comes from hydrocarbons such as coal, oil and natural gas.

   • Used for:

     Electricity through a fuel cell chemical reaction with the only emission is water vapor.

   • Trade-offs:

     Safety around pressure, flame and heat.

5. NATURAL GAS

   Natural gas is a combustible (burnable), gaseous mixture of simple hydrocarbon compounds, usually found in deep underground reservoirs formed by porous rock. Natural gas is a fossil fuel composed almost entirely of methane, but does contain small amounts of other gases, including ethane, propane, butane and pentane.

   • Comes from:

     Animals and plants that lived millions of years ago the same way oil and coal were formed. It is a carbon, or hydrocarbon, formed as a result of pressure and heat turning fossils of microscopic or larger animals and plants into gas, the same way they form oil and coal.

   • Used for:

     In gas or liquid forms used for virtually all kinds of energy needs.

   • Trade-offs:

     The fracking, or fracturing, of the porous rock where gas is often trapped may cause seismic disturbances like mini-earthquakes. The liquids used to flush out the gas may be poisonous to the water supply.

6. NUCLEAR

   Nuclear energy originates from the splitting of uranium atoms in a process called fission.

   • Comes from:

     Uranium rocks

   • Used for:

     In power plants, the fission process is used to generate heat for producing steam, which is used by a turbine to generate electricity.

   • Trade-offs:

     Safe reprocessing and disposal of nuclear waste are difficult and politically sensitive issues.

7. OIL

   Oil is a fossil, hydrocarbon fuel, formed more than 300 million years ago.

   • Comes from:

     Some scientists say that tiny diatoms are the source of oil. Diatoms are sea creatures the size of a pin head. They do one thing just like plants; they can convert sunlight directly into stored energy.

   • Used for:

     Currently, oil supplies more than 40% of our total energy demands and more than 99% of the fuel we use in our cars and trucks. It is also used to make petro-chemicals which are used for many purposes from plastic and paints to make-up and medicines.

   • Trade-offs:

     Like all fossil fuels, Oil (or gasoline, diesel and jet fuel made from oil) gives off carbon, and other gaseous waste, into our atmosphere.

8. SOLAR ENERGY

   Solar energy is the sun’s rays (solar radiation) that reach the Earth. It can turn into electricity using photovoltaic cells or its heat can be used to produce steam to make electricity.

   • Comes from:

     Solar collectors that reflect the heat from the sun’s rays or panels that convert sunlight into electricity.

   • Used for:

     This energy can be converted into other forms of energy, such as heat and electricity

   • Trade-offs:

     Needs a liquid, like water, to boil to produce steam to produce energy. There is more sunlight available in desert areas with few people. But there is little water. Such solar collectors need transmission lines to population areas. Photovoltaic panels are expensive to make and produce only small amounts of electricity. When the sun does not shine solar energy is not produced.

9. WATER ENERGY

   Water energy comes from the force of energy created by movement of water.

   • Comes from:

     Dams, ocean wave power, tidal power, stream power, marine current power, ocean-thermal energy conversion.

   • Used for:

     Electricity production and to run mills.

   • Trade offs:

     Must be near water sources. Can be expensive to harnass the energy. Dams change the ecosystems that depended on the rivers, can require relocation of towns or loss of farms and affect the spawning of salmon or other species that need moving water.

10. WIND ENERGY

    The kinetic, or moving, energy of the wind can be changed into other forms of energy, either mechanical energy or electrical energy.

    • Comes from:

      The naturally occurring wind which is produced by temperature and pressure changes in the atmosphere, most often as the day warms and cools near mountains. Wind produces energy by using blades that turn a turbine.

    • Used for:

      Generating electricity, charging batteries, or pumping water.

    • Trade-offs:

      Needs transmission lines out into windy areas where there are fewer people. Causes soil erosion and eyesores for some people. The windmill blades are dangerous to birds and bats.

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Hydrothermal Power Systems
July 01, 2010

There are three geothermal power plant technologies being used to convert hydrothermal fluids to electricity. The conversion technologies are dry steam, flash, and binary cycle. The type of conversion used depends on the state of the fluid (whether steam or water) and its temperature.

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The Ten Forms of Energy on Earth
June 18, 2010

Learn about the 10 forms of energy, where they come from and what they are used for and trade offs.

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Geothermal Plant Gets Funding
June 18, 2010

The U.S. Department of Energy has offered a $102.2 million loan guarantee, its first for geothermal energy, to U.S. Geothermal, based in Boise, ID. The guarantee is designed to support construction of a 22-megawatt plant at Neal Hot Springs, near Vale, OR.

U.S. Geothermal will use a technology called supercritical binary cycle to convert geothermal heat into electric power.

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Geothermal Elbowing its Way into the Mainstream
June 15, 2010

As I've mentioned a few times, geothermal looks to be approaching a rolling boil.

A few more positive indicators on the sector presented themselves over the past week.

First came news last week that the state of Alaska will reduce royalty rates for geothermal projects on state lands. Previously, state geothermal royalties had been set at a towering 10 to 15% of gross revenues. Under the new legislation, this will fall to 1.75% during the first ten years of income-generating production. After ten years, the rate increases modestly to 3.5%.

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AltaRock Energy and Davenport Newberry to Demonstrate Innovative Geothermal Technology
June 08, 2010

AltaRock Energy, a renewable energy development company focused on the research and development of Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS), and Davenport Newberry, which specializes in the development and management of geothermal opportunities, announced plans today to conduct a demonstration of EGS technology as part of the U.S. Department of Energy's Geothermal Technology Program at a site located near Bend, Oregon.

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Hellisheidi Geothermal Power Plant – Iceland's Newest
January 13, 2009

Iceland has a long history of geothermal usage going back pretty much to the founding of the country. But it wasn't until the 1970's that the country began building power plants, now they are world leaders in this type of energy production.

Currently, Iceland has five geothermal power plants which supplies approximately 27% of the country's electricity needs.

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