What is geothermal energy?

26 April 2022

In global trends, the topic of renewable and sustainable sources of energy has been on the agenda for the last few decades. Only now, however, is the world fully realizing the meaning of such an approach to nature and ourselves as part of it. There are already several renewable sources that do not harm the nature and provide efficient energy for humanity's needs.

Geothermal energy is one of the most effective and recommended by experts, but not yet sufficiently widespread as a way of extracting clean energy from the resources of the nature. It is extracted from the bowels of the Earth through specific technologies and can be used for all the energy needs of households, public buildings, and facilities.

What is geothermal energy?

Geothermal energy is a sustainable, environmentally friendly, and a fully renewable energy source. It is also an eco-friendly and a permanent heat energy, extracted from the bowels of the earth. With these qualities, it is expected to be one of the leading energy sources of the future in mankind's fight against the depletion of standard energy sources and the damage they cause to the environment and nature.

The resources of geothermal energy extend from very close to the earth's surface to hot waters miles deep. Its action can reach even deeper, all the way down to the molten rock in the Earth's interior - the magma.

What are the advantages of geothermal energy?

The main advantages of geothermal energy are already mentioned - it is environmentally friendly, renewable, and sustainable. It is renewable because of the natural constant filling of the hot reservoirs in the bowels of the earth. What makes it even more attractive, however, is the fact that its resources are almost unlimited.

The world's energy consumption is currently around 15 terawatts, which is many times less than the potential energy we can extract from the Earth's subsurface, i.e., geothermal energy in theory has the potential to cover the Earth's entire energy consumption.

Unfortunately, we do not yet have access to all these reservoirs for purely technological reasons, but this percentage is expected to grow in the coming years, as research in this direction continues. As of today, globally, we can extract between 0.0035 and 2 terawatts of energy from the Earth's subsurface.

When we talk about renewables in general, we cannot help, but ask ourselves how geothermal energy can be better than solar or wind energy, for instance. In contrast, geothermal energy is reliable, meaning that it can be predictable. Wind and solar energy rely on the availability of these phenomena, whereas geothermal energy can be sourced at any time, or its yield can be completely predictable. The higher investment of resources for the first two types of energy comes to the fore here, of course, as well as the need for specific space to accommodate the energy receivers.

Another major advantage of geothermal energy is its rapid evolution and constant development. Newer and more diverse technologies are beginning to emerge to make extraction more efficient and economical.

How is geothermal energy used in practice?

Geothermal energy is a universal source. It can be used to cool, heat, and heat water for a variety of uses.

A few meters below the surface, the temperature of the earth's layers is constant - between 10° and 16°C. Geothermal heat pumps access this resource very easily and use it for the energy needs of the home. Now there are complete engineering solutions that incorporate the entire process from extraction to transformation and practical use of the energy. Re Energy offers these exact same solutions that are installed in the home or building and provide complete energy provision.

A geothermal energy extraction system includes a geothermal probe to reach the required point in the Earth's subsurface, a heat pump with heat exchanger, and an installation that consumes the heat energy. In other words, all the heating and cooling systems that a home needs are included in the system.

Energy harvesting and conservation play one of the most vital roles for the future of humanity. Shifting towards sustainable methods of energy extraction has positive repercussions not only for us as individuals, but for the entire planet as well. Geothermal energy is one way to take a step towards a greener way of life.

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