Abstract
According to the official definition, approved by the European Geothermal Energy Council (EGEC), geothermal energy is energy accumulated as heat below the surface of solid soil. Geothermal energy is thermal energy generated and stored in the Earth. It is generally defined as the part of geothermal heat that can be directly utilized as heat or converted into other types of energy. Geothermal resources vary by location and depth towards the Earth's core. Their use is possible for different purposes depending on their temperature. This paper presents the harnessing geothermal resources for electricity generation. There are three main types of geothermal power plants: dry steam plants, flash steam plants, and binary cycle plants. Dry steam plants pipe hot steam from underground into turbines, which powers the generator to provide electricity. Flash steam plants pump hot water from underground into a cooler flash tank. The formed steam powers the electricity generator. Binary cycle plants pump hot water from underground through a heat exchanger that heats a second liquid to transform it into steam, which powers the generator. In all mentioned systems the used fluids are recycled. It can be concluded that geothermal power plants work similarly to other power plants, but providing the steam for starting the turbine from the earth's interior. The fact that used fluids return to the ground makes geothermal energy resources renewable.
Highlights
According to the official definition, approved by the European Geothermal Energy Council (EGEC), geothermal energy is energy accumulated as heat below the surface of solid soil
The most important way of using geothermal energy is the production of electricity whereby hot water and steam from the Earth are used to power the generator, which means that there is no burning of fossil fuels and subsequently no emission of harmful gases into the atmosphere, only water vapor is released
In Europe, geothermal heat is used for different needs, but most of all for electricity generation, heating, and cooling of buildings
Summary
Geothermal energy is the natural heat of the Earth, accumulated in fluids and rock mass, which is estimated to be 5500 °C or even up to 7000 °C in the core. Geothermal energy most often appears in the form of geysers, volcanoes and hot springs. Geothermal springs have been used for bathing, heating and cooking. The most ancient one is the use of the geothermal hot springs. Nothing can compare to thermal bathing and geothermal waters have been long known for their healing properties. The use of thermal waters dates straight back to 3000 BC when the Indus Valley civilizations used natural hot and mineral springs. A lot of wellness centers offer a variety of geothermal by-products such as soaps, shampoos, bath powders and facial cremes with thermal water. 102 8th ICREPS geothermal potential has been developed so far, which leaves possibility for growth and development in both electricity and direct use sectors [1]
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