3 Comments → “How does geothermal energy from volcanoes work?”

1. 
   

   ProTon :)
   

   2 years ago

   water well service trucks

   Geothermal Energy is essentially the heat that comes from within the Earth. The word ‘geothermal’ itself is derived from two Greek words. ‘Geo’ implies earth. ‘Therme’ implies heat. The hot water and steam produced withinthe Earth can be harnessed for electricity generation and heating of buildings. Geothermal Energy generated by the Earth’s interior is renewable energy.

   Geothermal reservoirs are mostly situated deep inside the Earth. Geothermal energy sometimes finds a way out in the following forms.

   # Volcanoes
   # Geysers.
   # Fumaroles (holes which release volcanic gases)
   # Hot springs

   The majority of the active geothermal resources can be found along the main plate boundaries. These areas are marked by heightened volcanic activities and earthquakes. Ring of Fire is one such zone.
   Magma on coming up close to the Earth’s surface heats up the ground water. This water is at times trapped in the porous variety of rocks. They may also flow along faults and fractured rock surfaces. They become hydrothermal resources due the heating effect of the magma.
   Big hydrothermal resources, which occur naturally, are referred to as geothermal reservoirs. Geologists make use of various methods for the determination of existence of geothermal reservoirs.

   see these pics…you can understand easily…how the energy from the interiors of earth is harnessed

   further info:
2. 
   

   Luis
   

   2 years ago

   geothermal installer

   Geothermal power (from the Greek roots geo, meaning earth, and thermos, meaning heat) is power extracted from heat stored in the earth. This geothermal energy originates from the original formation of the planet, from radioactive decay of minerals, and from solar energy absorbed at the surface. It has been used for bathing since paleolithic times and for space heating since ancient roman times, but is now better known for generating electricity. Worldwide, geothermal plants have the capacity to generate about 10 gigawatts of electricity as of 2007, and in practice supply 0.3% of global electricity demand. An additional 28 gigawatts of direct geothermal heating capacity is installed for district heating, space heating, spas, industrial processes, desalination and agricultural applications.

   Geothermal power is cost effective, reliable, sustainable, and environmentally friendly, but has historically been limited to areas near tectonic plate boundaries. Recent technological advances have dramatically expanded the range and size of viable resources, especially for applications such as home heating, opening a potential for widespread exploitation. Geothermal wells release greenhouse gases trapped deep within the earth, but these emissions are much lower per energy unit than those of conventional fossil fuels. As a result, geothermal power has the potential to help mitigate global warming if widely deployed in place of fossil fuels.

   The Earth’s geothermal resources are theoretically more than adequate to supply humanity’s energy needs, but only a very small fraction of it may be profitably exploited. Drilling and exploration for deep resources costs tens of millions of dollars, and success is not guaranteed. Forecasts for the future penetration of geothermal power depend on assumptions about technology growth, the price of energy, subsidies, and interest rates.

   Extinct volcanoes are those that scientists consider unlikely to erupt again, because the volcano no longer has a lava supply. Examples of extinct volcanoes are many volcanoes on the Hawaiian Islands in the U.S. (extinct because the Hawaii hotspot is centered near the Big Island), and Paricutin, which is monogenetic. Otherwise, whether a volcano is truly extinct is often difficult to determine. Since “supervolcano” calderas can have eruptive lifespans sometimes measured in millions of years, a caldera that has not produced an eruption in tens of thousands of years is likely to be considered dormant instead of extinct. For example, the Yellowstone Caldera in Yellowstone National Park is at least 2 million years old and hasn’t erupted violently for approximately 640,000 years, although there has been some minor activity relatively recently, with hydrothermal eruptions less than 10,000 years ago and lava flows about 70,000 years ago. For this reason, scientists do not consider the Yellowstone Caldera extinct. In fact, because the caldera has frequent earthquakes, a very active geothermal system (i.e. the entirety of the geothermal activity found in Yellowstone National Park), and rapid rates of ground uplift, many scientists consider it to be an active volcano.
3. 
   

   Turbidite
   

   2 years ago

   There are two basic ways that geothermal energy is harvested from volcanoes or geyser areas. Both involve water.

   Direct Heat Method – Simply pump water through the hot spot then distribute it to warm homes, buildings, etc. This is common in Iceland.

   Steam Production – This method places water in hotter zones so it turns to steam then that steam is used to power electric generation equipment. This is about the same way that a nuclear reactor produces electricity. By heating water to produce steam then having the steam run dynamos.