Geothermal Energy
A Renewable Energy Source
What is Geothermal Energy?
Geo means EARTH
Thermal means HEAT
What is Geothermal Energy?
Geothermal energy is heat energy from deep inside the
earth. Heat is brought near the surface by thermal
conduction, by intrusion into earth's crust of molten
magma originating from the mantle and by circulation of
groundwater to great depth.
Sources of Geothermal Energy
● Volcanoes and fumaroles (holes where volcanic gases
are released)
● Hot springs
● Geysers (type of hot spring that jet out a column of
boiling water up to several hundred meters in height
at frequent intervals)
Sources of Geothermal Energy
The most active geothermal resources are usually found
along major plate boundaries where earthquakes and
volcanoes are concentrated. Most of the geothermal
activity in the world occurs in an area called the Ring of
Fire.
How does Geothermal Energy work?
Wells are drilled deep into the earth to pump steam or hot water to the surface, it is
usually done in places with hot-water underground reservoirs.
When the high pressure and high temperature water reaches the surface, the drop
in pressure causes the water to turn into steam, this is a process called steam
flashing, the heat exchanger transfers the heat (steam) into the turbines leaving
behind any residues that could potentially damage some parts.
After separating the steam from the heat exchanger, the steam then travels through
the turbine, converting the thermal energy of steam into mechanical energy
(rotational force of the turbine).
The turbine is connected into a shaft which drives the generator, which produces
electricity, through the process called electromagnetic induction. The electricity
produced by the generator is then transported into the grid, and is then distributed
to both industrial and residential consumers.
The condenser is used to cool the steam that has passed through the turbine and
convert it back into liquid water. It allows the water to be either reused in the power
generation cycle or reinjected into the underground reservoir
The cooling tower is responsible for dissipating excess heat from the condenser and
maintaining the thermal balance of the power plant. It works by exposing the
condensed steam or hot water to air, allowing heat to be transferred and expelled
into the atmosphere.
The injection well is used to return the cooled geothermal fluid back into the
underground reservoir. This process helps maintain reservoir pressure and prevents
the depletion of geothermal resources.
Types of Geothermal Power Plant
1 2 3
Dry Steam Flash Steam Binary
1. Dry Steam Power Plant
● First type of geothermal power plants to be built
● The plant uses steam that is accessed by drilling directly into the
underground source
● The steam is piped through a turbine and generator unit, and then
condensed back into water and injected back into the subsurface reservoir.
● The emissions from this group of plants consist of excess steam and very
small amounts of sulfur dioxide, hydrogen sulfide, and carbon dioxide.
Because there is no combustion taking place, the levels of these gases are
much lower than emissions from fossil fuel fired power plants.
2. Flash Steam Power Plant
● Hydrothermal fluid at temperatures greater than 360° is pushed to the surface by
the high pressure in the subsurface reservoir.
● As this very hot fluid reaches the surface, it enters the separator (flash tank) where
the pressure drops instantaneously and most of the liquid flashes into steam.
● The force generated by the steam is used to drive turbines and produce electricity.
● The fluid not flashed into steam leaves the separator (flash tank) and rejoins the
water from the condenser.
● The fluid is then injected back into the Earth so that the process can be renewed
over and over again.
Types of Steam Flash
1. Single Flash Cycle
➔ uses hot water to create steam in a single flashing process
2. Multi-Flash Cycle
➔ involves multiple flashing stages to extract more energy from the
geothermal fluid
3. Binary Power Plant
● These are different from dry steam or flash steam power plants in that the
hydrothermal fluid from the subsurface reservoir never comes into contact
with the turbine/generator units.
● In this two step process, hydrothermal fluid that is not quite hot enough to
be used in a flash steam plant is fed into a heat exchanger.
● Here, heat is transferred from the hydrothermal fluid to a “working liquid”
with a lower boiling point than water (usually isobutane or isopentane).
3. Binary Power Plant
● The working liquid turns into an energized vapor much like the steam in the
flash power plant and turns the turbine/generator unit, producing electricity.
● The hydrothermal fluid and the working liquid are both contained in “closed
loops” and never come in contact with each other.
● The vapor from the working liquid is condensed and the hydrothermal fluid
is returned to the earth. This cycle can be repeated as quickly as the Earth
can reheat the fluid.
Geothermal Power Plant in Albay
1. Tiwi Geothermal Power Plant
➔ Situated in Albay province, the Tiwi plant has a capacity of 157
MW. It was one of the first large-scale geothermal facilities in the
Philippines, contributing significantly to the region’s power supply.
2. Bacon-Manito (BacMan) Geothermal Power Plant
➔ Located across the provinces of Sorsogon and Albay, BacMan has a
capacity of 150 MW. It supplies electricity to the Luzon grid and
supports the energy needs of the Bicol region.
Advantages of Geothermal Energy
● Provides clean and safe energy
● Renewable and sustainable
● Reliable and consistent power supply
● High efficiency and high energy output
● Small land footprint
● Uses much less water during operation
● Long Lifespan of power plants
Limitations of Geothermal Energy
● Location Dependent
● High initial costs
● Reservoir Depletion risks
● High maintenance cost
Reference/s:
● https://www.energy.gov/sites/prod/files/2014/06/f16/geothermal_energy.pdf
● https://ei.lehigh.edu/learners/energy/readings/geothermal.pdf
● https://geocom.geonardo.com/assets/elearning/7.21.geothermalscan.pdf
