Geothermal Power

The ground beneath our feet contains a significant amount of energy in the form of heat. All of this geothermal energy has the potential to generate geothermal power to provide large amounts of electricity.

People have used geothermal energy in the form of hot springs for centuries, however, the first attempt to generate electricity from this energy source did not occur until the 20th century.

The production of electricity from geothermal energy sources can be a highly efficient method to generate a source of clean and renewable energy. Location is key for the development of an efficient geothermal power station, and therefore, significant levels of electricity can only be generated in certain areas.

There are only a handful of locations across the world that are capable of producing viable and efficient levels of electricity from geothermal energy sources. As a result of this, in 2007, less than 1% of the worlds electricity supply was produced from geothermal sources.

To harness geothermal energy and transform this into electricity, geothermal power stations are designed in a variety of ways.

The three main power plant designs which utilise geothermal as an energy source are; "dry steam", "flash steam", and "binary-cycle" power stations.

Geothermal Ground Source Heat Pumps

Alternative "geothermal energy systems" are available, yet instead of providing power, they focus on providing heat and warmth. This heat can be used to heat water for your home or to simply provide heating for your house.

Geothermal energy systems utilising ground source heat pumps are different to geothermal power systems. The main difference is that ground source heat pump systems only make use of the first few meters of ground.

Water is usually pumped through one end of a lengthy piping system and by the time it reaches the other end, the water is of a higher temperature than it was at the start. This allows for an energy efficient boiler system as it doesn't have to boil water from cold.

The great advantage of geothermal ground source heat pumps is that they can be used in many locations. Even cold regions such as Norway and Sweden see efficient results when using ground source heat pumps.

A geothermal heat pump system can be very efficient in providing your home with a source of lower cost hot water. The use of a ground source heat pump with a backup boiler allows your boiler to use less energy to heat the water than it would have previously. This can save you significant amounts of money on energy bills for your home or business.

Geothermal Disadvantages

Here are some disadvantages of using the power of geothermal energy to provide heat for your home or water through the use of a ground source heat pump.

• The initial cost of design and installation can be costly yet this investment would be likely to pay off over the years of operation.
• The area needed to lay the piping system can be quite large and this may not be suitable for small developments.

These are just some of the disadvantages of using geothermal energy yet there are many more advantages which greatly outweigh these negatives.

Geothermal System Suppliers

If you're looking for suppliers or installers of geothermal energy systems, then our geothermal suppliers area may be of interest to you and could help you locate a reputable supplier in your area.