Geothermal – Solar Magazine

Renewable energy supply will go beyond gas by 2016 at a global scale

Gas will be exceeded by renewable energy worldwide until 2016, reaching almost a quarter of the planet’s power supply by 2018, by 2016 it will exceed that from gas and be the twice of that of nuclear plants. It has already exceeded overall consumption of electricity in China by 2012.

Broadcasted on Wednesday, this year’s second Medium-Term Renewable Energy Market Report anticipates that alternative power will rise by 40% in the coming 5 years, although the economic context has seen better days. Renewable energy is by now the quickest-growing power producing sector and will be in 2018 at 25% of global supply exceeding with approximate 5% the ratio from 2011.

Thus, the portion of non-hydro sources like geothermal or bioenergy, wind and solar energy will be doubled by 2018, reaching 8%, up from 4% by in 2011, and half that in 2006.

IEA Executive Director, Maria van der Hoeven stated from the report: “As their costs continue to fall, renewable power sources are increasingly standing on their own merits versus new fossil-fuel generation, this is good news for a global energy system that needs to become cleaner and more diversified, but it should not be an excuse for government complacency, especially among OECD countries.”
This report, however warns that renewable energy growth is evolving in complexity and presents challenges, such as an increasing discussion regarding the expenses of renewable sustenance policies in various European countries who are affected by a stagnate economy and energy request.

There are two positive factors that sustain optimism: First of all, acceleration has been observed at the coming-out markets in investment and placement, where renewable energy is helping to approach the rapid increase of energy demand, the variation on energy producers and local pollution responsibilities. Second, along with hydropower, geothermal and bioenergy, solar energy is drawing attention in markets with high billing prices, like those produced by oil-fired energy. Plus the fact that photovoltaic energy production can be a lower expense than one centralized supplier.

Roxana Moraru

Nevada benefits from first hybrid solar geothermal power plant

When it comes to the benefits of renewable sources of energy like solar energy, wind energy and more, many companies are focusing on developing products and mechanisms that help tap these forms of energy.

Nevada’s Stillwater geothermal plan is one such example.This world’s first hybrid Solar-Geothermal plant is great option for all the eco-friendly construction companies.

The capacity is about 59 MW of clean energy and is capable of fueling more than 50,000 homes.Both solar and geothermal forms of energy complement each other as both these sources of clean energy are available in abundance.

By installing this Hybrid Solar Geothermal power plant, Nevada can ease the gaps of solar energy and also utilize both sources of power.

The carbon footprint of Nevada will be reduced and also the greenhouse gas emissions from the region.

The Department of Energy has given this hybrid project tax support $40 million through the Recovery Act.

Tis project is one of the fourteen geothermal sites in the Nevada. It will also help in accelerating geothermal power development.

Wind power could be stored in water under Germany’s mountains

Germany hopes to meet the country’s electricity demands only with renewable sources by 2050.

This ambitious dream reflects on their green investment particularly in the fields of solar and wind energy.

Germany plans to store energy generated by wind turbines in water pump storage facilities under the mountains.

This first project in the world is made after a Marko Schmidt study.

The study was to build a plant in the abandoned Wiemannsbucht mine shaft in Bad Grund, a town in the western Harz Mountains.

Pumped-storage hydroelectricity plants work by using power from solar or wind turbine sources to pump water from one tank to another above it.

When the sun goes in or the wind stops blowing and electricity is needed, the water from the top is released to the bottom tank – pushing through turbines as it goes and generating power.

Six of such large scale projects have been proposed for the West Harz region.

The first one will be in Bad Grund and will have the storage capacity of 400 megawatt hours, which is sufficient to allocate power to over 40,000 households per day.

This project has a lot of advantages because such plants can be constructed in abandoned mine-shafts and also the provision of additional green jobs.

Britain raises support for renewable heat

A lot of Britain’s available energy is used to heat homes and buildings.

The British government plans to provide incentives for renewable energy.

The focus on renewable electricity has tended to sideline renewable heat.

But now finally, the Coalition government has specified the regulations of the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI).

The regulations will be approved by Parliament in summer 2011.

These subsidies will be for a wide range of technologies including solar thermal, biomass, heat-pumps and biogas.

RHI program is a vital step towards ensuring that British homes and businesses take greater control of their energy while also reducing carbon emissions.

Mannvit acquires shares in GTN Latin America in Chile

Mannvit, a leading geothermal energy consulting company, becomes a shareholder in GTN Latin America, founded by Fundación Chile and GTN from Germany, to service the Chilean geothermal market.

Mannvit’s acquisition of shares in GTN Latin America (“GTN LA”) is a part of the company’s strategic international growth plan and one that will provide needed geothermal industry expertise to Chile and the region as a whole. The acquisition of shares also allows Mannvit to expand its service offerings in renewable energy to South and Central America countries, while helping to pave the way for this growing industry in Chile. With over four decades of experience, the Iceland-based Mannvit has participated in development and construction of projects producing over 1000 MW in geothermal power and heating, adding to GTN LA’s capacity. GTN LA is a company founded by Fundacion Chile and GTN of Germany. The company offers innovative solutions for the direct use of geothermal energy. Recent Chilean projects include geothermal heating and cooling systems.

“GTN LA’s range of services increases with the entrance of Mannvit, at a time when we can see a definite increase in the development of geothermal energy in Chile,” says Marcela Angulo, Head of Energy and Climate Change at Fundación Chile. “The services they offer is quite distinguished, and integrates decades-long experience in utilizing geothermal energy. For the Chilean market, we foresee the need to utilize their geothermal expertise for direct heat, electricity production and combined heat and power applications, all done with a strong emphasis on the sustainability of the geothermal resource, which we are confident will contribute to a greater acceptance of geothermal energy by communities and the general public,” she added. Mannvit’s Deputy CEO, Runolfur Maack added, “We see a tremendous potential for geothermal energy in Chile and by becoming a part of GTN LA, Mannvit can contribute to the development of this growing industry in Chile and in South America”, adding that “because Mannvit offers technical services ranging from exploration and engineering of power plants to project management in every phase of geothermal projects, we can service the entire geothermal market”.

Geothermal energy has recently emerged as one of the best options to supply Chile’s growing economy with locally-sourced energy. Geothermal energy is clean, renewable energy that has proven itself to be highly competitive with traditional sources of power. Further, geothermal is a proven technology with a high capacity factor and minimal impacts to the environment and neighboring communities.

Source: www.renewableenergy.com

Renewable energy based on the principle of entropy

In nature, the diffusion of river water into salty seawater leads to a slight rise in temperature, and this energy could be captured to generate electricity. The conventional means of capture has been through osmotic power. Fresh water and salt water are separated by a membrane, and the salt water draws fresh water through the membrane, causing an increase in pressure. The pressure can then be used in a variety of ways, for example to turn a turbine. The Norway-based company Statkraft is testing one such osmotic power facility.

A team of researchers from Stanford University approached the problem from a different angle and came up with a more compact system. As reported by Andy Extance at the Royal Society of Chemists, the Stanford system uses a battery to draw energy through a crystal lattice made of manganese dioxide nanorods, which pack a large surface area into a small space.

Source: www.cleantechnica.com

Geothermal Leaders to Gather in the Nation’s Capital for GEA Geothermal Energy Technology and International Development Forum

As the geothermal industry is poised for record setting expansion, leaders will gather in Washington DC on Wednesday, May 4 for the Geothermal Energy Association (GEA) 2011 Geothermal Energy Technology and International Development Forum which will be held at The Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center.

“Our industry is developing rapidly here in the United States, but the growth of geothermal power abroad has been fantastic as well,” said Karl Gawell, GEA Executive Director. “Our program is going to allow us to see how and where these many projects are coming along, while also giving an update on the many new technologies that are coming into the geothermal market.”

The Forum was developed in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Energy and the U.S. Department of Commerce. Over two-hundred industry leaders, foreign diplomats, financiers and government officials are expected to participate.

“Having the Departments of Commerce and Energy, as well as leaders from such a broad spectrum of geothermal supporters, as a part of this event will provide a great insight into where the geothermal industry currently stands and where it will be going over the next few years,” Gawell said.

The program showcases geothermal projects, trends, and governmental policies in the U.S. and around the world. Topics covered will include the geothermal market today, projects under development in the U.S. and internationally, outlook for the future of the geothermal market, jobs and money, new technologies, and federal agency support at home and abroad. The Forum will also feature an expo area.

Source: www.renewableenergyworld.com

I-GET project – regarding geothermal energy

People utilize geothermal energy to heat their homes and to produce electricity. This is achieved by digging deep wells and pumping the heated underground water or steam to the surface. But we can also use the stable temperatures near the surface of the earth to heat and cool buildings.

Dr. Ernst Huenges is the head of Geothermal Research at the institute GFZ – German Research Centre for Geosciences. He is of the opinion, “The new methods deliver important decision-support for the selection of sites for future geothermal projects. With this we can considerably reduce the risk of expensive misdrills,”

Geothermal energy is making its presence felt worldwide and Iceland is the best example of the utilization of geothermal power. In fact Iceland leads the world in the development of geothermal utilization. They have doubled their annual power supply capping it up around 500 MW as far as electricity supply is concerned. Germany is also emerging as a major user of geothermal energy. Germany is deriving its 100 MW of heat from geothermal energy. Italy is not far behind. A team of European scientists, in the region of Travale (Italy), is planning to tap the potential of localized geothermal reservoirs. If this project is completed it will produce energy akin to a potential of around 1,000 wind power plants. This is one of the projects discussed at the international final conference of “I-GET” (Integrated Geophysical Exploration Technologies for deep fractured geothermal systems) in Potsdam.

The European Union is also feeling the “heat” of geothermal energy. European nations are waking up to the potential of geothermal energy. This conference aimed at the development of state-of-the art technology with potential geothermal reservoirs. Seven European nations participated in this “I-GET” conference. They want to explore more and more geothermal reservoirs and utilize it for clean and green energy. The project “I-GET” could be a substantial step towards renewable energy source.

The newly developed techniques have been tried at four European geothermal locations. They are combining different geological and thermo¬dynamic conditions. High-temperature reservoirs have been examined in Travale/Italien having metamorphic rocks and in Hengill/Island (volcanic rocks). They are also examining two deposits with medium-temperature in deep sediment rocks in Groß-Schönebeck/Germany and Skierniewice/Poland.

The implications of the results of “I-GET” would be felt worldwide. Geothermal experts from Indonesia, New Zealand, Australia, Japan and the USA also participated in the “I-GET” project. There were 120 scientists and industry representatives from the 20 countries.

“Reliable geothermal technologies are in demand worldwide. Even countries with a long experience in geothermal energy such as Indonesia and New Zealand are interested in the results acquired in I-GET,” says Dr. Ernst Huenges. Therefore, we hope that this “I-GET” will give the necessary push to the geothermal research. GFZ is currently establishing an International Centre for Geothermal Research, which will, focus on carrying out application-oriented large-scale projects on a national and international level.

Source: www.alternative-energy-news.info/geothermal-energy-intelligent-use-of-earths-heat/

Geothermal projects get started in USA

The United States’ geothermal industry is cautiously celebrating the return of investors to hot projects that had cooled off with the recession.

The Geothermal Energy Association (GEA) expects at least a half-dozen idled projects to finally begin construction in the next three years thanks to $6 billion in renewed investments, including a $96.8 million U.S. Department of Energy loan guarantee announced last week for the 23 MW Neal Hot Springs power plant in Eastern Oregon.

“There are probably more geothermal projects under development today in the United States than there has ever been in U.S. history,” said GEA Executive Director Karl Gawell.

The GEA hopes to release better estimates at the end of the month, so it is still unclear how many projects will actually get enough funding for completion. For now, Gawell says he has accumulated anecdotal evidence that more investors are picking up where they left off in 2008 and 2009.

Though exploration has all but stopped, the industry is hopeful that the extension of the Section 1603 Tax Credit program could provide a cash incentive for new development. Some say federal grants could also help jump-start investment in rapidly advancing low-temperature technology, creating the potential for a new wave of next-generation projects.

Some of the biggest geothermal developers are not yet convinced that 2011 will be the time to invest in the costly drilling of new exploration wells. Since the U.S. has become mired in the politics of climate change, there are no guarantees that cash grants through a one-year tax credit extension will sustain growth beyond 2011.

Yes even amid all the uncertainty in the U.S., Ormat and other developers are focusing attention overseas, where developing countries view geothermal resources as less expensive alternatives to coal power plants.

“When things are slow in the U.S. … our sales folks are developing projects in the ring of fire region in places with prolific geothermal resources, like Indonesia,” said Ormat spokesman Paul Thompson.

GEA estimates the addition of at least 1,000 MW of U.S.-based geothermal projects in the next three years.

Source: www.renewableenergyworld.com