Geothermal energy

Advantages Of Geothermal Energy

Advantages of geothermal energy
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Geothermal energy is the energy that uses the heat inside the Earth. It is a renewable energy based on the energy of the Earth's interior and that does not require the combustion of any material or fossil fuels, avoiding emissions of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

The use of geothermal energy has certain advantages:

Geothermal energy is an inexhaustible renewable source of energy

The main advantage of geothermal energy is that it is a renewable energy. Renewable energy is considered energy that is obtained from virtually inexhaustible natural sources, either by the immense amount of energy they contain, or because they are able to regenerate by natural means.

Unlike other non-renewable energies, no fossil fuel or uranium (nuclear energy) is required for the exploitation of geothermal energy.

Geothermal energy has better efficiency

Among all renewable energies (solar energy, wind energy, hydropower, etc.), geothermal energy is the most efficient renewable energy. The only energy losses are the heat energy that is lost at the time of transport from the interior of the Earth to the surface.

The process of extracting the internal energy from the heat source is carried out by means of a heat exchanger. The heat energy passes to a fluid that circulates through ducts to raise the heat to the surface. The conduits to carry out this process are very well isolated, so that the amount of energy lost is minimal.

Once the installation is done, the maintenance is minimal, therefore, the relation between the quilowatt obtained by the derivative cost of obtaining it is minimal.

The return time of the investment in economic terms is very low. A geothermal energy installation is amortized between four and six years, this means that, in this time, all the money saved in energy is equal to the price that it has been necessary to install the technology.

Constant energy resource

One of the advantages of geothermal energy compared to other sources of renewable energy such as solar energy or thermal energy is the ability to maintain a constant energy production. In this way it is possible to make an energy forecast. On the other hand, solar energy depends on several factors (the inclination of the Sun, the hours of light that vary during the year, and the weather since on cloudy days the solar radiation obtained is lower.) Wind energy, on the other hand, depends on the intensity of the wind, a difficult factor to foresee.

In the case of geothermal energy, the source of value is several meters underground. The amount of earth above the heat source performs a very powerful insulating function that keeps the temperature stable throughout the different seasons of the year. In other words, the thermal inertia is very high, which does not change at different times of the year. The earth above has an insulating function that prevents thermal transmissions.


Environmentally sustainable

The non-use of fuels helps minimize the waste it produces. For this reason, geothermal energy causes a much lower environmental impact than those caused by the use of fossil fuels or nuclear power plants. Not causing environmental impacts implies that it does not favor global warming or the greenhouse effect.

A typical single-family home stops emitting two tons of carbon dioxide per year if it uses geothermal energy compared to a house with a natural gas boiler.

Economic savings For example, in a house of about 150 to 180 square meters, the economic savings involved is 70%.

The visual impact of a geothermal energy installation is minimal, as it is an underground installation.

Geographic availability of geothermal energy

Another advantage of geothermal energy is that it can be used in any geographical location. Although in certain points of the geography the temperature of the interior of the Earth is higher and, therefore, the yield is even higher; In general, geothermal energy can be used at any point. In volcanic areas, for example, the temperature in the subsoil is easy to be much higher.

It is a source of renewable energy found anywhere on Earth, unlike other sources of non-renewable energy that depend on fossil fuel deposits such as oil, natural gas or coal.

In this sense, compared to renewable energies such as solar energy or wind energy, we observe that these types of energy have a variable performance throughout the year. Solar energy depends on the received solar radiation, which can vary depending on the time zone and time and the wind energy depends on the wind intensity, a factor that is even more unpredictable. In the case of hydraulic energy, it can be used in places where a certain accumulation of water is allowed.

It can be used for heating and cooling

Geothermal energy can be used in a particular way. In a private dwelling with radiant floor heating fluid can be circulated inside the earth to generate heat or even to cool. The average temperature obtained in the interior of the earth is about 15 degrees Celsius, so, geothermal energy can be used to cool the environment.

In the case of air conditioning is usually done with underfloor heating. No fans or interior appliances are needed in the rooms or outside, only one pump.

Last review: January 22, 2019