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Created with Fabric.js 1.4.5 Geothermal Energy California! What is it? Geo means...Earth! Thermal means...heat! Geothermal energy = Use of heat in Earth's core to generate electricity! Step 1: "Extracting" Thermal Energy Step 2: Option 1 - Geothermal Heat Pumps Step 2: Option 2 - Dry-Steam Power Plant Step 3:Environmental Remediation of Sulfur Fun Fact 1:The Geysers are a huge geothermal resouce, and they provide 60% of the power along the Northern California Coast! Fun Fact 3: Geothermal Energy is extremely space-efficient! To produce 1 GWh of energy, a geothermal power plant uses 1,046 km2 of space, while wind and solar energy easily take up more than double the area! Thermal energy from the earth’s core heats water below ground, and under certain conditions, the hot water and steam may even burst through earth’s surface, such as in a geyser. In California, The Geysers eject steam that rises above-ground, and can be directly transported to spin and power turbines. To access pockets of thermal energy underground, geothermal wells need to be installed to physically drill out the earth,so that the thermal energy can be able to be pumped out. Geothermal heat pumps are a form of piping infrastructure that are installed about 3-90 meters underground and are used for heating/cooling. Glycerol is sent through the pump, to absorb underground geothermal energy through convection; the glycerol then transfers this energy to homes. In California, dry steam power plants are most commonly used, especially in The Geysers. In rare cases, sulfur is a resultant waste product of the geothermal energy process. Minerals are often extracted from this deposit, and waste water is re-insertedback into the earth to be recycled. In dry-steam power plants, geothermal steam from underground sources is directly transported to turn turbines and then to power generator. The steam is condensed and the cooled air is then sent back underground. Geothermal energy plantshave a relatively small 80 MW capacity.The long-term economic effects are yet to be tested; however, the assumption is that with economies of scale, geothermal energy can be transmitted through large transmission lines in a more cost-effective manner than with smaller lines. Fun Fact 2:In California, recycled waste water is inserted back underground, to be recycled as geothermal energy!
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