Geothermal Energy
The word "Geothermal" arises from Greek language, where geo means earth and therme stands for heat. Thus, geothermal means heat from the earth. Geothermal energy is a renewable source of energy i.e. it can be used number of time and also it is eco-friendly.
Earth receives heat energy in natural way from the sun. Geothermal heat produced from Earth's burning consolidation of dirt and gas from more than 3 billion years past.
At four thousand miles deep in the core of the earth, temperature reaches up to 9,000 degrees F. The flow of the heat is away from the core of the earth. This heat is further received by the nearby layers of rock. Sometimes the temperature and the pressure are so high that it melts the mantle rock and converts it into magma. Then the magma slowly starts rising towards the earth’s crust, because the density of the magma is low as compared to the near by rocks. When magma comes up, it carries a lot of heat along with it. Mainly the magma left underneath the earth’s crust, due to which the water and the nearby rock becomes hot.
When the burning magma comes all the way to the outside, then it is known as lava. A number of times, the hot geothermal water go back from side to side faults and also through cracks. Then it comes up on the upper layer of earth and it is commonly known as geysers or hot springs. The process of naturally accumulation of hot water on the surface of earth is known as geothermal reservoir.
Now days Geothermal Energy is chiefly used for the generation of electrical energy. A number of Geologists, engineers, geochemists and drillers all around the world are busy if discovering and testing so as to place underground areas where geothermal water is present, so that they drill there for successful production of geothermal energy.
The used geothermal water can be used again and again for the purpose of generation of electricity. In geothermal energy plants, the hot or steam water is collected from the reservoirs, and then it is allowed to fall on the large turbine. This falling of the force hot water spins the turbine, and due to this turbine produces electrical energy. Here the mechanical energy of the hot water is converted into electrical energy.
ADVANTAGES OF USING GEOTHERMAL ENERGY FOR PRODUCTION OF ELECTRICITY
Like solar power plants and wind power plants, geothermal power plants are also clean and eco-friendly. It does not cause any type of pollution during the production of electrical energy.
It helps to protect nonrenewable fossil fuels, by reducing the demand of fossil fuels.
The Geothermal power plant can be easily constructed on the land. And it requires very small area for construction.
In the installations of a geothermal power plant there is no need of any harvesting forest or damming of rivers and there is no waste by product is formed during the whole process of production of the electrical energy from the geothermal energy.
Geothermal power plant is very reliable as compared to other power plants like solar or wind power plants, because geothermal power plants are so designed that it can easily run 24 hours in a day.
Thus due to the points mentioned above the demand of the geothermal energy is increasing day by day.
.