Feasibility of Using More Geothermal Energy to Generate Electricity

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kaufui Vincent Wong ◽  
Nathanael Tan
Keyword(s):  
Geothermal Energy ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
Fossil Fuels ◽  
High Pressures ◽  
Clean Energy ◽  
Geothermal System ◽  
Superheated Water ◽  
Flat Side ◽  
The Right ◽  
The Cost

Human population is ever-increasing and thus, demand for energy is escalating. Consequently, seeking clean methods of producing electricity is a most crucial endeavor at this time. The shrinking reserves of oil have added urgency to the matter. One other recognized source of renewable energy besides wind, water and solar (WWS) is geothermal energy, which has been proven to be useful in baseload power generation, a significant advantage over WWS. As compared to fossil fuels, geothermal energy is not subjected to the supply and cost fluctuations of which fuels are at risk. To date, there have been a number of innovative procedures explored to use geothermal energy to produce electricity. A relatively innovative yet not uncommon method has been to use hot solid rocks to heat water and pump the superheated water to use in power plants. These rocks are generally underground and at higher temperatures due to their proximity to volcanoes or natural geothermal vents. The water goes deeper down into the earth’s crust to become superheated by the rocks, and then is pumped out to power turbines, and subsequently returned into the ground to repeat the process. In Krafla, Iceland, during their Icelandic Deep Drilling Project (IDDP) in 2009, a borehole was accidentally dug into the magma at 2100 meters. The temperature of this magma was about 900–1000°C. A steel casing with perforations on the flat side was cemented into the well bottom. This design was to slow the heat flow, and superheated steam was made for the following two years till July 2012. The steam reached temperatures of 450°C and was at high pressures. Krafla was the world’s first magma-enhanced geothermal system to generate electricity. This paper will explore the feasibility of using geothermal power plant methods as a sustainable source of clean energy. Geothermal energy has tremendous potential if the right methods can be found to tap that potential, as well as if the cost may be brought down by innovation and demand. In addition, an innovative method which already exists in some form, is proposed in the current review, to harness more geothermal energy for use.

Feasibility of Using More Geothermal Energy to Generate Electricity

2015 ◽  
Vol 137 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kaufui Vincent Wong ◽  
Nathanael Tan
Keyword(s):  
Geothermal Energy ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
Fossil Fuels ◽  
High Pressures ◽  
Clean Energy ◽  
Geothermal System ◽  
Superheated Water ◽  
Flat Side ◽  
The Right ◽  
The Cost

Human population is ever-increasing and, thus, demand for energy is escalating. Consequently, seeking clean methods of producing electricity is a most crucial endeavor at this time. The shrinking reserves of oil have added urgency to the matter as well. One other recognized source of renewable energy besides wind, water, and solar (WWS) is geothermal energy, which has been proven to be useful in baseload power generation, a significant advantage over WWS. As compared to fossil fuels, geothermal energy is not subjected to the supply and cost fluctuations of which fuel is at risk. To date, there have been a number of innovative procedures explored to use geothermal energy to produce electricity. A relatively innovative yet not uncommon method has been to use hot solid rocks to heat water and pump the superheated water to use in power plants. These rocks are generally underground and at higher temperatures due to their proximity to volcanoes or natural geothermal vents. The water goes deeper down into the earth's crust to become superheated by the rocks, and then is pumped out to power turbines, and subsequently returned into the ground to repeat the process. In Krafla, Iceland, during their Icelandic Deep Drilling Project (IDDP) in 2009, a borehole was accidentally dug into the magma at 2100 m. The temperature of this magma was about 900–1000 °C. A steel casing with perforations on the flat side was cemented into the well bottom. This design was to slow the heat flow, and superheated steam was made for the following two years till July 2012. The steam reached temperatures of 450 °C and was at high pressures. Krafla was the world's first magma-enhanced geothermal system (EGS) to generate electricity. This paper will explore the feasibility of using geothermal power plant methods as a sustainable source of clean energy. Geothermal energy has tremendous potential if the right methods can be found to tap that potential, as well as if the cost may be brought down by innovation and demand. In addition, an innovative method, which already exists in some form, is proposed in the current review to harness more geothermal energy for use.

Can Coal Contribute to Sustainable Development?

2005 ◽  
Vol 16 (5) ◽  
pp. 767-779 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roger Wicks ◽  
Malcolm Keay
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Carbon Dioxide Emissions ◽  
Poverty Reduction ◽  
Best Practice ◽  
Fossil Fuels ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Clean Energy ◽  
Development Goals ◽  
Cost Penalty ◽  
The Cost

Coal is not always seen as a route to sustainable development; renewable energy, energy efficiency and a move away from fossil fuels are what people usually have in mind. The paper argues that such a view is incomplete. One of the key development challenges facing the 21st century is to ensure wider access to clean energy. There are 1.6 billion people currently lacking electricity and the enormous benefits it brings in terms of poverty reduction and improved quality of life. Coal has been the route to electrification for millions in the developing world – China alone secured electricity access for over 700 million people between 1980 and 2000 in a system based 84 percent on coal. Clean technologies generally involve higher costs. Can the higher environmental expectations of the 21st century be met without denying or delaying access to electricity for millions in need? The paper identifies ways in which the cost penalty and other barriers to the introduction of clean coal-based technologies can be overcome. Higher efficiencies reduce both costs and emissions – the universal deployment of existing commercial best practice would produce savings equivalent to those from the Kyoto protocol. Emerging coal-based technologies enable cost-effective carbon dioxide emissions reductions. Co-firing of coal and renewables is often the most effective route to enabling resources such as biomass and solar power to be exploited. In the longer run, carbon sequestration offers huge potential for near zero emissions power at costs comparable with or lower than the alternatives. The conclusion is that no single fuel source provides the answer to sustainable development; a range of options is needed. Cleaner coal-based technologies must be one of those options: they can meet both immediate development goals and longer-term climate change imperatives.

scholarly journals Economical aspects of the CCS technology integration in the conventional power plant

2017 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 168-180
Author(s):  
Nela Slavu ◽  
Cristian Dinca
Keyword(s):  
Technology Integration ◽  
Power Plant ◽  
Carbon Capture ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
Fossil Fuels ◽  
Process Efficiency ◽  
Absorption Column ◽  
Capture Process ◽  
Ccs Technologies ◽  
The Cost

Abstract One of the way to reduce the greenhouses gases emissions generated by the fossil fuels combustion consists in the Carbon Capture, Transport and Storage (CCS) technologies utilization. The integration of CCS technologies in the coal fired power plants increases the cost of the energy generation. The CCS technology could be a feasible solution in the case of a high value of a CO2 certificate but for the present value an optimization of the CCS technology integration in the power plants is expected. However, for reducing the cost of the energy generated in the case of CCS integration in the power plants, a parametrical study optimization of the CO2 capture process is required. In this study, the chemical absorption process was used and the monoethanolamine with 30 wt. %. The objective of this paper is to analyze the effects of the package type used in the absorption column on the size of the equipment used and, on the energy cost of the power plant with CO2 capture process consequently. The packages types analyzed in this paper are metal Pall rings with different sizes and the rings are made of different metals: aluminum, nickel, cooper, and brass. In the case of metal Pall rings, the utilization of different material has an impact on the absorption column weight. Also, Pall rings made of plastics (polypropylene and polyethylene) were analyzed. The comparative assessment was achieved for a coal fired power plant with an installed power of 100 MW and considering the CO2 capture process efficiency of 90 %.

scholarly journals Prioritizing Energy Sources to Generate Electricity (Application of Fuzzy Logic)

2015 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 414-421
Author(s):  
Bahareh Hashemlou ◽  
Hossein Sadeghi ◽  
Arashk Masaeli ◽  
Mohammadhadi Hajian ◽  
Shima Javaheri
Keyword(s):  
Natural Gas ◽  
Energy Demand ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
Fossil Fuels ◽  
Electrical Energy ◽  
Electricity Production ◽  
Fuzzy Preference Relations ◽  
Safety And Reliability ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Day By Day

Organizations, institutions, and different sectors of manufacturing, services and agriculture are constantly making decisions. Each of the aforementioned sectors, have strategies, tactics, and various functions that play a basic role in reaching the objectives. On the other hand, energy demand in developing countries is increasing day by day. The exact calculation of the cost per unit of electricity generated by power plants is not easy. Therefore, this study according to four sources of natural gas, nuclear energy, renewable energy and other fossil fuels other than natural gas that are used in a variety of electricity production plants is trying to clarify the ranking of generation electricity approach using "fuzzy preference relations" analysis. Accordingly, three models were used and the results showed that natural gas, with regard to the four criteria of low investment cost, low power, lack of pollution and the safety and reliability of electrical energy has priority over other alternatives. Full preferred model results also suggested that the energy of natural gas, renewable energies, nuclear and other fossil fuels should be considered in a priority for power generation. Sensitivity analysis results moreover demonstrated that the above models are not affected by the threshold values ​​and the full stability of the models is observed.

scholarly journals Biomass Availability in Europe as an Alternative Fuel for Full Conversion of Lignite Power Plants: A Critical Review

Energies ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (13) ◽  
pp. 3390 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vasiliki Tzelepi ◽  
Myrto Zeneli ◽  
Dimitrios-Sotirios Kourkoumpas ◽  
Emmanouil Karampinis ◽  
Antonios Gypakis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
Fossil Fuels ◽  
Clean Energy ◽  
Carbon Neutrality ◽  
Long Time ◽  
Biomass Availability ◽  
Phase Out ◽  
Full Conversion ◽  
The Eu

Biomass has been demonstrated as a capable source of energy to fulfill the increasing demand for clean energy sources which could last a long time. Replacing fossil fuels with biomass-based ones can potentially lead to a reduction of carbon emissions, which is the main target of the EU climate strategy. Based on RED II (revised Renewable Energy Directive 2018/2001/EU) and the European Green Deal, biomass is a promising energy source for achieving carbon neutrality in the future. However, the sustainable potential of biomass resources in the forthcoming decades is still a matter of question. This review aims at estimating the availability of biomass for energy reasons in the EU, and to evaluate its potential to meet the coal power plant capacity of the main lignite-producer countries, including Germany, Poland and Greece. Plants in line with the sustainability criteria of RED II have been selected for the preliminary estimations concerning their full conversion to the biomass power concept. Furthermore, the various barriers to biomass utilization are highlighted, such as the stranded asset risk of a future coal phase-out scenario, biomass supply chain challenges, biomass availability in main lignite-producer EU countries, the existing full conversion technologies, and biomass cost. A variety of challenges in the scenario of lignite substitution with biomass in a plant are investigated in a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) analysis. Technological risks and issues should be tackled in order to achieve the coal phase-out EU goal, mainly with regard to the supply chain of biomass. In this direction, the development of logistics centers for the centralized handling of biomass is strongly recommended.

The competitiveness of nuclear energy in an era of liberalized markets and restrictions on greenhouse-gas emissions

2009 ◽  
pp. 37-62
Author(s):  
Luigi De Paoli ◽  
Francesco Gulli
Keyword(s):  
Electricity Markets ◽  
Electricity Generation ◽  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
Nuclear Energy ◽  
Fossil Fuels ◽  
Levelized Cost Of Electricity ◽  
Cost Of Electricity ◽  
Generation Costs ◽  
The Cost

- The debate on the benefits of nuclear energy revolves around the very competitiveness of this energy source. This article tries to show why it is not easy to answer unambiguously the question whether or not it is convenient to resort to nuclear power in a given country. After listing the factors on which the cost of electricity generation rests and discussing the range of probability of their value, the levelized cost of electricity generation from nuclear, coal and gas-fired plants is calculated using the Monte Carlo method. The results show that nuclear power is likely to be competitive, especially if policies to combat CO2 emissions will continue in the coming decades. There are, however, some margins of uncertainty, mainly related, to the one hand, to the cost of nuclear plants, that depends on the socio-institutional context, and on the other, to the fossil fuels cost, that are inherently difficult to anticipate even on average. Finally it is noted that the context of liberalized electricity markets may make it more difficult for investors to accept the risk of investing in nuclear power plants and for the community to socialize some of the costs associated with this technology.Key words: Nuclear energy, generation costs, Montecarlo method, environmental impacts.JEL classifications: G11, H23, L72, L94, Q31, Q40

Geothermal

2020 ◽  
pp. 363-402
Author(s):  
Paul F. Meier
Keyword(s):  
Pacific Ocean ◽  
Geothermal Energy ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
Hot Water ◽  
Geothermal System ◽  
Enhanced Geothermal System ◽  
Heating And Cooling ◽  
The Earth ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
The Pacific Ocean

Geothermal energy is heat taken from below the surface of the earth in the form of either steam or hot water. This energy can be used to generate electricity, but also has use in heating and cooling homes and some direct uses, such as gold mining, food dehydration, and milk pasteurizing. There are four basic types of geothermal power plants including steam, flash, binary, and enhanced geothermal system (EGS). The first three rely on permeable aquifers that have water flowing through them such that hot water or steam can be extracted. EGS, however, extracts heat from deep in the earth by injecting water and creating artificial fractures in the rock. A great deal of the world’s potential for geothermal energy exists in the so-called Ring of Fire, a ring of volcanoes around the Pacific Ocean.

Cost Analysis of Geothermal Energy Development in Tengchong, China

2014 ◽  
Vol 1030-1032 ◽  
pp. 2544-2546
Author(s):  
Ru Liu ◽  
Yan Jun Liu ◽  
Xiao Qing Dong
Keyword(s):  
Cost Analysis ◽  
Geothermal Energy ◽  
Clean Energy ◽  
Energy Development ◽  
Short And Long Term ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Made In

Geothermal energy project in Tengchong has to be economically feasible to be implemented. The cost analysis is necessary to be made in order to obtain a vision for the investors, so that they could find out if the project is advisable regarding cost in short and long term. As a new kind of clean energy contributing to the electricity, geothermal energy development in Tengchong will be a long-term strategy.

scholarly journals Microalgal Production of Biofuels Integrated with Wastewater Treatment

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (16) ◽  
pp. 8797
Author(s):  
Merrylin Jayaseelan ◽  
Mohamed Usman ◽  
Adishkumar Somanathan ◽  
Sivashanmugam Palani ◽  
Gunasekaran Muniappan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Wastewater Treatment ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
Fossil Fuels ◽  
Biofuel Production ◽  
Combustion Engines ◽  
Emission Power ◽  
Sustainable Future ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Generation Biofuel

Human civilization will need to reduce its impacts on air and water quality and reduce its use of fossil fuels in order to advance towards a more sustainable future. Using microalgae to treat wastewater as well as simultaneously produce biofuels is one of the approaches for a sustainable future. The manufacture of biofuels from microalgae is one of the next-generation biofuel solutions that has recently received a lot of interest, as it can remove nutrients from the wastewater whilst capturing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. The resulting biomass are employed to generate biofuels, which can run fuel cell vehicles of zero emission, power combustion engines and power plants. By cultivating microalgae in wastewater, eutrophication can be prevented, thereby enhancing the quality of the effluent. Thus, by combining wastewater treatment and biofuel production, the cost of the biofuels, as well as the environmental hazards, can be minimized, as there is a supply of free and already available nutrients and water. In this article, the steps involved to generate the various biofuels through microalgae are detailed.

scholarly journals Impact of Electric Power Pricing Reforms on the Japan’s Industry and Household Sector

2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 17
Author(s):  
Woojong Jung
Keyword(s):  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
Nuclear Power Plants ◽  
Fossil Fuels ◽  
Price Index ◽  
Consumer Price Index ◽  
Electricity Prices ◽  
Business Services ◽  
The Cost ◽  
The Impact

<p align="justify">After the Fukushima nuclear power plant accident, Japan had an opportunity to advance its economic and energy policies to pursue stable energy supply, economic efficiency, environmental security, and safety. The accident not only raised concerns regarding the safety of nuclear power plants but also increased awareness regarding the effect of energy import growth on the economy and related issues such as the effect of imports on Japan’s international competitiveness. This study simulates the impact on electricity prices using three potential scenarios for Japan. According to the results, the consumer price index (CPI) was larger than the corporate goods price index (CGPI) for Japan in all cases. In the simulation results, the CPI was observed to have an increased effect of 0.88%–3.59% against a 0.84%–3.41% increase in the CGPI. The surge in electricity prices significantly impacted the supply of electricity, gas, and heating and also the business services sector. The cost of policies that maintain safety, the increase in costs resulting from the overseas importation of fossil fuels, and the cost of promoting renewable energy in conjunction with the reutilization of nuclear power plants leading to higher electricity prices will also be considered in the future.</p>

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