GEOTHERMAL ENERGY
GEOTHERMAL ENERGY
INTRODUCTION
- Geothermal energy is the heat that comes from the sub-surface of the earth. It is contained in the rocks and fluids beneath the earth’s crust and can be found as far down to the earth’s hot molten rock, magma.
- Geothermal power is the electricity generated from the heat source within the earth’s crust.
- This geothermal energy originates from the geological processes during formation of the planet, radioactive decay of minerals, and from solar energy absorbed at the surface.
- Geothermal heat energy can be recovered and exploited for human use, and it is available anywhere on Earth’s surface.
People can capture geothermal energy through:
- Geothermal power plants, which use heat from deep inside the Earth to generate steam to make electricity.
- Geothermal heat pumps, which tap into heat close to the Earth’s surface to heat water or provide heat for buildings.
HOW IT WORKS
- Hot water is pumped from deep underground through a well under high pressure.
- When the water reaches the surface, the pressure is dropped, which causes the water to turn into steam.
- The steam spins a turbine, which is connected to a generator that produces electricity.
- The steam cools off in a cooling tower and condenses back to water.
- The cooled water is pumped back into the Earth to begin the process again.
GEOTHERMAL ENERGY IN INDIA
- India’s first-ever Geothermal Field Development Project is to be established in Leh . The project would be undertaken by ONGC.
- The project will be named as Geothermal Field Development Project which will going to established at Puga Village off Eastern Ladakh.
- Puga has been identified as the hotspot of geothermal energy in the country (potential of more than 100 mw of geothermal energies.)
India’s first-ever geothermal field development project
ONGC has planned this Geothermal Field Development Project in Ladakh in three phases
- Phase 1:It involves drilling upto 500 metres depth and setting up of a pilot plant of up to 1 megawatt (MW) power capacity.
- Phase 2: It involves deeper drilling to explore the potential of the thermal reservoir and setting up of a higher capacity demo plant and preparing a detailed project report.
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Phase 3: This phase include set up of a commercial plant . The estimated power supply would be of 250 MW.
