Perhaps one of the most essential forms of energy transmission that truly helped people in different aspects of life is coming from geothermal plants.
If you’re not fully aware yet, water heated with geothermal energy enables animals to thrive in places where temperatures can dramatically drop to sub-zero. Also, when we take a hot bath, the pressure heat coming from the water will often make us feel warm up, including the entire surrounding.
Hot water coming from geothermal reservoirs, which can be seen a few miles or deeper beneath the surface of the Earth, can also be utilized directly to produce heat. Such a process is referred to as the direct geothermal energy utilization.
For you to know more about the different applications of geothermal energy and how it is essential to humankind and the environment, you may continue reading.
The Innovation
The use of geothermal energy dates back hundreds and hundreds of years ago, when humankind started using hot springs when taking a bath, cooking for food, and other important means. Right now, people still use hot springs as spas. However, because of the advancement of technology, there are new more advanced means of geothermal resource utilization.
In more innovative direct systems, a well is holed into a reservoir in order to give a consistent hot water stream. The hot water will then be carried up via the well, and an automated system — heat exchange, controls, and piping — transmits the heat directly to its designated use. A system for disposal will then infuse underground water that is cooled on the above surface.
When it comes to different applications of geothermal energy, an energy that reaches 400 meters with temperatures around 30° C is utilized to cool and heat establishments as well as various plants. Because of the relatively reduced temperature, the energy heat from the said depths is often not directly utilized but is elevated to the needed level of temperature through pumps that are heated.
It’s also similar to geothermal energy that can cool any establishment during the summer season. The subsoil portion can be used as a source for intense climates. This will save users from costly cooling applications in air-conditioning control systems.
This type of geothermal energy is the opposite of the utilization of geothermal energy in different perspectives. Deep-seated geothermal power starts at a 400 meters depth and deeper. Hot springs are excavated at amazing depths of up to 8km. The entire structure is being operated with relatively powerful and larger equipment.
Geothermal energy coming from the deep-seated source makes heating systems more accessible, especially when it comes to heating an entire city. In the event the level of temperature is high already, the production of electricity will also be done by geothermal power plants. Baths will be supplied with heated water as well. Moreover, geothermal power does not rely on weather controls; it can produce electricity and heat in a consistent manner in a year.
This is one of the most typical direct geothermal energy applications which also manages climates, temperatures, and humidity. The ideal temperature required for vegetables and plants to grow is relatively different. Hence, the water temperature supply varies on the demand for heat by greenhouses which ranges from 50- 10000 Celsius.
Moreover, below are the most common classification of geothermal energy use in greenhouses:
Heating of benches – When it comes to growing different flower types, this process is ideal for use. In this process, the benches are warmed or heated with the use of metallic conductors or plastic pipes mounted below every bench. This can be done with a combination of an aerial or vegetative system for heating or a combination of these two.
Vegetative type of heating – A type of system where metal or plastic pipe is fitted on the surface together with the plants arranged in rows. In countries with warmer temperatures, the greenhouse heating via geothermal power has been utilized to control humidity since an increase of humidity may lead to crops being susceptible to fungus infection. Not to mention, geothermal energy heating improves the growth of plants and saves on costs for fuel at around 80%.
Heating through the aerial pipe – This type of geothermal energy heating uses steel pipes which are super easy to maintain and can be installed with different applications depending on the preferred temperature. This process is also commonly used together with the vegetative type of heating.
All of these applications of geothermal energy will have a huge turn depending on what will happen in the future. Considering that renewable sources of energy are expected to give the world’s demand for energy around 30-50 percent. This will then be used for both domestic and commercial purposes. It is without a doubt about how geothermal energy helped the world. Day by day, the demand for such energy supply will surely increase.
