What is Geothermal Energy?

The term geothermal comes from the Greek geo meaning earth and therine meaning
heat thus geothermal energy is energy derived from the natural heat of the earth. The
earths temperature varies widely, and geothermal energy is usable for a wide range of
temperatures from room temperature to well over 300 . or commercial use, a
geothermal reservoir capable of providing hydrothermal !hot water and steam"
resources is necessary. Geothermal reservoirs are generally classified as being either
low temperature !#$%0 &" or high temperature !'$%0 &". Generally speaking, the
high temperature reservoirs are the ones suitable for, and sought out for commercial
production of electricity. Geothermal reservoirs are found in (geothermal systems)
which are regionally locali*ed geologic settings where the earths naturally occurring
heat flow is near enough to the earths surface to bring steam or hot water to the
surface. +,amples of geothermal systems include the Geysers -egion in .orthern
&alifornia, the /mperial 0alley in 1outhern &alifornia, and the 2ellowstone -egion in
/daho, 3ontana, and 4yoming.
Dry Steam
5ower plants using dry steam systems were the first type of geothermal power
generation plants built. They use the steam from the geothermal reservoir as it comes
from wells, and route it directly through turbine6generator units to produce electricity. 7n
e,ample of a dry steam generation operation is at the Geysers in northern &alifornia.
Schematic of the Dry Steam Power Plant
Flash Steam
lash steam plants are the most common type of geothermal power generation plants
in operation today. They use water at temperatures greater than 380 !$9: &" that is
pumped under high pressure to the generation e;uipment at the surface. <pon
reaching the generation e;uipment the pressure is suddenly reduced, allowing some of
the hot water to convert or (flash) into steam. This steam is then used to power the
turbine6generator units to produce electricity. The remaining hot water not flashed into
steam, and the water condensed from the steam is generally pumped back into the
reservoir. 7n e,ample of an area using the flash steam operation is the &al+nergy
.avy / flash geothermal power plant at the &oso geothermal field.
Schematic of the Flash Steam Power Plant
The CalEnergy Navy I flash geothermal power plant at the Coso geothermal fiel!
"inary Cycle
=inary cycle geothermal power generation plants differ from >ry 1team and lash
1team systems in that the water or steam from the geothermal reservoir never comes
in contact with the turbine6generator units. /n the =inary system, the water from the
geothermal reservoir is used to heat another (working fluid) which is vapori*ed and
used to turn the turbine6generator units. The geothermal water, and the (working fluid)
are each confined in separate circulating systems or (closed loops) and never come in
contact with each other. The advantage of the =inary &ycle plant is that they can
operate with lower temperature waters !::% ? 380 ", by using working fluids that
have an even lower boiling point than water. They also produce no air emissions. 7n
e,ample of an area using a =inary &ycle power generation system is the 3ammoth
5acific binary geothermal power plants at the &asa >iablo geothermal field.
Schematic of the "inary Cycle Power Plant
The #ammoth Pacific $inary geothermal power plants at the Casa Dia$lo
geothermal fiel!
Geothermal Power Plants
Geothermal power plant in the /mperial 0alley, &alifornia.
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. >ry steam power plants systems were the first type of geothermal
power generation plants built. They use the steam from the geothermal reservoir as it
comes from wells, and route it directly through turbine6generator units to produce
electricity. lash steam plants are the most common type of geothermal power
generation plants in operation today. They use water at temperatures greater than
380 !$9:&" that is pumped under high pressure to the generation e;uipment at the
surface. =inary cycle geothermal power generation plants differ from >ry 1team and
lash 1team systems in that the water or steam from the geothermal reservoir never
comes in contact with the turbine6generator units.
Power plant photographs
Dry Steam Power Plants
>ry steam power plants at The Geysers in &alifornia.
1team plants use hydrothermal fluids that are primarily steam. The steam goes directly
to a turbine, which drives a generator that produces electricity. The steam eliminates
the need to burn fossil fuels to run the turbine. !7lso eliminating the need to transport
and store fuels@" This is the oldest type of geothermal power plant. /t was first used at
Aardarello in /taly in $B0C, and is still very effective. 1team technology is used today at
The Geysers in northern &alifornia, the worldDs largest single source of geothermal
power. These plants emit only e,cess steam and very minor amounts of gases.
Flash Steam Power Plants
Eydrothermal fluids above 380 !$9:&" can be used in flash plants to make
electricity. luid is sprayed into a tank held at a much lower pressure than the fluid,
causing some of the fluid to rapidly vapori*e, or Fflash.F The vapor then drives a
turbine, which drives a generator. /f any li;uid remains in the tank, it can be flashed
again in a second tank to e,tract even more energy.
"inary%Cycle Power Plants
3ost geothermal areas contain moderate?temperature water !below C00". +nergy is
e,tracted from these fluids in binary?cycle power plants. Eot geothermal fluid and a
secondary !hence, FbinaryF" fluid with a much lower boiling point than water pass
through a heat e,changer. Eeat from the geothermal fluid causes the secondary fluid
to flash to vapor, which then drives the turbines. =ecause this is a closed?loop system,
virtually nothing is emitted to the atmosphere. 3oderate?temperature water is by far the
more common geothermal resource, and most geothermal power plants in the future
will be binary?cycle plants.
The F&t&re of Geothermal Electricity
1team and hot water reservoirs are Gust a small part of the geothermal resource. The
+arthDs magma and hot dry rock will provide cheap, clean, and almost unlimited energy
as soon as we develop the technology to use them. /n the meantime, because theyDre
so abundant, moderate?temperature sites running binary?cycle power plants will be the
most common electricity producers.
=efore geothermal electricity can be considered a key element of the <.1. energy
infrastructure, it must become cost?competitive with traditional forms of energy. The
<.1. >epartment of +nergy is working with the geothermal industry to achieve H0.03 to
H0.0% per kilowatt?hour. 4e believe the result will be about $%,000 megawatts of new
capacity within the ne,t decade.
D'E S&pport
The <.1. >epartment of +nergy recogni*es the strategic value of geothermal electricity,
and supports its development in several ways through its Geothermal Technology
>evelopment 5rogram. irst, it works with &ongress to ensure support for geothermal
energy and renewables in general. 1econd, it sponsors millions of dollars in research
and development at national laboratories and universities. /nvestigators are working on
issues in e,ploration, geochemistry, drilling, resource usage, and e;uipment operation.
Third, through its Geo5owering the 4est initiative, it works with state and local officials
and other stakeholders to identify and overcome regulatory and institutional barriers to
geothermal power development.