Posted on 08/01/2006 11:15:01 AM PDT by aculeus
Are you referring to fluids in large scale geothermal projects?
The small scale home systems often use the same basic type of fluid you use in your car's radiator. That fluid is recyclable and actually has rust inhibitors.... there's no reason to use brine on small scales....
If you form one, count me in... :)
Not really. Consider: Coso Geothermal, near Mammoth, Imperial Valley, Steamboat, Nevada.
Proximity to population centers is relative to how big of a plant you are building. Plus they can be tied into the grid.
But the "universal geothermal energy" proposed here is sheer crackpottery.
True. At best it is one of many alternative sources that will fill a limited need.
I think a solar collector for the heat, while nice, is a bit of a waste if you have a geothermal system to begin with.
In the summer you get A/C dirt cheap and you get free hot water (using waste heat off the system). In the winter your heat is dirt cheap but you may not get enough hot water free - only then and when the A/C or heat isn't on would a solar collector provide much use...
Yes. The article cites the Geysers as an example. That is one of the types of plant I am referring to.
Actually, a relative has one up there....
They work quite well in northern climates. You just need more feet of ground loop for a higher tonnage system.
Some areas also have incentives for installation. If I lived about 20 miles further out into the country, the electrical co-op there will pay for the excavation for a ground loop system to be installed. Not only will they pay for the excavation, but they will give reduced electric rates ("We also have a reduced kWh rate of 1¢ from 1001-2000 kWhs each month") and offer 5% fixed rate loans for remaining installation costs....
Whatever your source of energy for the hot water, a solar heat collector will save energy by acting as a pre-heater for the water, especially in the Wintertime.
The additional cost is marginal, and the collector can house and protect the pumps of the system.
In fact, on mild cool days, distributing the aolar heat collected could mean that compressors may not even need to run.
So that's how gwb is causing earthquakes........
;)
On a world wide basis yes, the statement is true. But on a case by case basis, the answer is not as definitive. Large geothermal plants, which tap geothermal brine, bring it to the surface as a heat-exchanger fluid and then re-inject it into the ground, can have a limited life. The Geysers is a perfect example of depletion over time at a specific site.
Dirt is a wonderful insulator..
Four 200 foot wells = four tons of capacity. The power company here gave us a $250 rebate which was about .02 percent of the cost. We could have saved some by putting in a pond loop into the lake but since we don't really control the lake floor, the installer advised against this. I'm surprised there are any of these in MN, altho they're selling in Des Moines and Ames.
Oh, Okay. How about if we inject our excess radionucleides into the downstream well? Then it could be both inexhaustible and renewable!
(Just joking. No incendiary devices needed.)
"Theoretically" yes, but it will take many billions of years for that to occur, because the Earth's crust is a poor conductor of heat (very good insulator). Also, more heat is being generated from radioactive decay.
What produces the heat?
The original heat came from the condensation of the interstellar dust cloud which formed the Earth. As it gave up its gravitational potential energy, the Earth became a very hot lump of molten rock. In the last several billion years, the surface has cooled to the point where there is a skin covering what is still mostly a molten planet.
There are also radioactive elements distributed throughout the mass of the Earth. As they decay, they give off tiny amounts of heat. This might seem insignificant, but there is a lot of planet containing these elements, and it takes a very long time for the heat to reach the surface and radiate into space.
If you drain the core of heat, how is it replenished?
Even in our wildest dreams, we could only tap a tiny fraction of this energy. We will not drain the core of heat. Also, to some extent the heat is being replenished through radioactive decay.
Yeah, there really is no reason not to put one in up in MN - all you have to do is make sure you have the right # of tons... If you're putting in a vertical loop system, that just means more wells. If you're putting in a trenched system, you have to dig deeper (I imagine you have very few of these in MN).
As for your rebate, I'm assuming you meant 2% of the cost, right? .02% would mean that the system cost you about $1.25 million. :)
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