Environmental Impacts of
Geothermal Energy Systems
Manuel, Krystell Marie B.
OBJECTIVE
▪ Describe the environmental impacts of geothermal energy
systems.
ADVANTAGES OF GEOTHERMAL ENERGY
1 ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY
2 RELIABLE SOURCE OF RENEWABLE ENERGY
3 INEXPENSIVE AND HIGHLY EFFICIENT
ADVANTAGES OF GEOTHERMAL ENERGY
1 ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY
• It can be extracted without burning a fossil fuel such as coal, gas, or
oil.
• There are a few polluting aspects to harnessing geothermal energy,
and the carbon footprint of a geothermal power plant is seen as
minimal
• Binary plants release essentially no emissions.
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ADVANTAGES OF GEOTHERMAL ENERGY
1 ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY
• Geothermal fields produce only about 1/6 of the CO2 of natural-gas-
fueled power plant and 1/8 of CO2 emissions associated with typical
coal power plants.
• An average geothermal power plant releases the equivalent of 122 kg
CO2 for every megawatt-hour (MWh) of electricity it generates.
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ADVANTAGES OF GEOTHERMAL ENERGY
2 Reliable Source of Renewable Energy
• It is a constant source of energy, it is not dependent on neither wind
nor sun, and always available 365 days a year.
• Geothermal energy are naturally replenished. The energy in our
geothermal reservoirs will last billions of years.
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ADVANTAGES OF GEOTHERMAL ENERGY
2 Reliable Source of Renewable Energy
ADVANTAGES OF GEOTHERMAL ENERGY
3 Inexpensive and Highly efficient
• Geothermal heat pump systems use 25% to 50% less electricity than
conventional systems for heating or cooling.
• It’s also relatively inexpensive; savings can be as much as 80% over
fossil fuel.
• Realistic estimates for the potential of geothermal power plants vary
between 0.035 to 2 TW.
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ADVANTAGES OF GEOTHERMAL ENERGY
3 Inexpensive and Highly efficient
After only 3 years and 8 months of
operation, the 20 MW Maibarara
geothermal power plant has
reached the milestone of 600 GWh
of electricity generated.
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milestone/
DISADVANTAGES OF GEOTHERMAL ENERGY
The main disadvantages of Geothermal Energy is its impact on the environment:
1 Greenhouse gas emission
2 Surface Instability/ Earthquakes
3 Installation and Location
DISADVANTAGES OF GEOTHERMAL ENERGY
1 Greenhouse gas emission
• The extraction of geothermal energy releases greenhouse gases like
hydrogen sulfide, carbon dioxide, methane and ammonia. However, the
amount of gas released is significantly lower than in the case of fossil
fuels.
• Reservoirs can contain traces of toxic heavy metals including mercury,
arsenic and boron.
DISADVANTAGES OF GEOTHERMAL ENERGY
2 Surface Instability/ Earthquakes
• Construction of geothermal power
plants can affect the stability of
land. Earthquakes can be triggered
due to hydraulic fracturing, which
is an intrinsic part of developing
geothermal power plants.
DISADVANTAGES OF GEOTHERMAL ENERGY
2 Surface Instability/ Earthquakes
• In January 1997 the
construction of a geothermal
power plant in Switzerland
triggered an earthquake with a
magnitude of 3.4 on the Richter
scale.
DISADVANTAGES OF GEOTHERMAL ENERGY
3 Installation and Location
• Good geothermal reservoirs are hard to come by. Iceland and Philippines
are countries with great resources which meets 1/3 of their electricity
demand with geothermal energy.
• The need for drilling and installing quite a complex which makes the cost
climb high. Nevertheless, the return on such investment is very promising,
with the investment back within 2 to 10 years.
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DISADVANTAGES OF GEOTHERMAL ENERGY
3 Installation and Location
The Geysers in San Francisco, California,
the largest geothermal plant in the world,
has a capacity of approximately 1,517 MW
and the area of the plant is approximately
78 square kilometers, which translates to
approximately 13 acres per megawatt.
Environmental Impacts of
Geothermal Energy Systems
Manuel, Krystell Marie B.
