WHAT ARE SOME OF THE ADVANTAGES OF USING GEOTHERMAL ENERGY TO GENERATE ELECTRICITY?
Clean. Geothermal power plants, like wind and solar power plants, do not have to burn fuels to manufacture steam to turn the turbines. Generating electricity with geothermal energy helps to conserve nonrenewable fossil fuels, and by decreasing the use of these fuels, we reduce emissions that harm our atmosphere. There is no smoky air around geothermal power plants -- in fact some are built in the middle of farm crops and forests, and share land with cattle and local wildlife.
Easy on the land. The land area required for geothermal power plants is smaller per megawatt than for almost every other type of power plant. Geothermal installations don't require damming of rivers or harvesting of forests -- and there are no mine shafts, tunnels, open pits, waste heaps or oil spills.
Reliable. Geothermal power plants are designed to run 24 hours a day, all year. A geothermal power plant sits right on top of its fuel source. It is resistant to interruptions of power generation due to weather, natural disasters or political rifts that can interrupt transportation of fuels.
Flexible. Geothermal power plants can have modular designs, with additional units installed in increments when needed to fit growing demand for electricity.
Keeps £'s at Home. Money does not have to be exported to import fuel for geothermal power plants. Geothermal "fuel'" - like the sun and the wind - is always where the power plant is; economic benefits remain in the region and there are no fuel price shocks.
Helps Developing Countries Grow. Geothermal projects can offer all of the above benefits to help developing countries grow without pollution. And installations in remote locations can raise the standard of living and quality of life by bringing electricity to people far from "electrified" population centers.
Benefits of wind power
Apart from generating electricity without causing pollution, wind energy has numerous other advantages.
Widely distributed, indigenous supplies: More countries have sizeable wind power potential than have large resources of hydro-power or fossil fuel reserves.
Ideal for generating electricity at a local level: European wind schemes are typically in clusters of around 10 - 40 turbines, providing enough electricity for 4,000 to 16,000 households. Some countries such as Denmark and Germany also have a high proportion of single turbines. The electricity produced by these can be fed directly into the local distribution network, reducing power transmission losses. By contrast, the electricity from larger power stations has to be transmitted in high voltage power lines and travel long distances before it gets to the point of use.
Good for island communities: Wind energy systems on islands can be linked to diesel or solar systems to provide back-up when the wind is not blowing.
Low risk: The relatively small unit size of each individual wind turbine (or wind scheme) reduces the risk of technical failure or industrial action compared with larger generating units.
Energy diversity: It is sensible for any nation to have a balanced range of energy technology, rather than relying on one or two technologies or imported fuel. The energy mix among different European countries varies widely, with some countries more dependent on energy imports than others. The UK and Germany have a relatively diverse mix of fuels, whereas others are more dependent on oil (Spain and Greece), coal (Denmark) and nuclear (France and Belgium). Expanding the use of wind energy will increase energy diversity and improve the security of electricity supply. Energy diversity lessens the international political risks associated with fossil fuel reserves, the volatility of oil and gas prices, and the hazards associated with nuclear power.
Source(s):
http://geothermal.marin.org/pwrheat.html…
http://www.geocities.com/daveclarkecb/El…
http://www.geocities.com/pemnq/windscan.…
2 years ago
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The answer depends on more factors, like what sort of energy it is needed from the device and where do you want it to install.
Obviously, Geothermal pumps are advantageous on plains and places with soft soil, otherwise the drilling of the hole may be very expensive. It is mostly use to heat buildings ecologically, however the initial price of the device is rather high. It's main advantage, however, is the stable output of heat for a very low price (prise includes costs of servicing and fuelling the pump). It is also less disturbing on the scenery
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On the contrary, wind turbines are effective on hills with hard - rock sub grade, especially close to coast where wind is more-or-less permanent. There are also concepts of mowing wind turbines to the sea, where they will not obscure and disturb the nature scenery. They are cheaper to build, but their output iskinematicc power, converted to electrical. For heating buildings they are not very effective, lessreliablee, since the operation depends on the wind intensity. But they can easily deliver power even on places that are not connected to the grid, like mountain cottages or sailing boats.
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Level on noisedependss on the device construction
Source(s):
I am Mech. eng.
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