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We provide Cooler, Cleaner, Greener Power & Energy Solutions and Renewable Energy Technologies project development services. These projects are Kyoto Protocol compliant and generate clean energy and significantly fewer greenhouse gas emissions. Unlike most companies, we are equipment supplier/vendor neutral. This means we help our clients select the best equipment for their specific application. This approach provides our customers with superior performance, decreased operating expenses and increased return on investment. Renewable
Energy Technologies provides
project development services that generate clean energy and
significantly reduce greenhouse
gas emissions and carbon
dioxide emissions. Included in this are our
turnkey "ecogeneration"
products and services which includes renewable
energy technologies, waste to
energy, waste to watts and waste
heat recovery solutions. Other project development
technologies include; Anaerobic
Digester, Anaerobic Lagoon, Biogas
Recovery, BioMethane, Biomass
Gasification, and Landfill Gas
To Energy, project development services.
For more information: call us at: 832-758-0027 We are Renewable Energy Technologies specialists and develop clean power and energy projects that will generate a "Renewable Energy Credit," Carbon Dioxide Credits and Emission Reduction Credits. Some of our products and services solutions and technologies include; Absorption Chillers, Adsorption Chillers, Automated Demand Response, Biodiesel Refineries, Biofuel Refineries, Biomass Gasification, BioMethane, Canola Biodiesel, Coconut Biodiesel, Cogeneration, Concentrating Solar Power, Demand Response Programs, Demand Side Management, Energy Conservation Measures, Energy Master Planning, Engine Driven Chillers, Geothermal Heatpumps, Groundsource Heatpumps, Solar CHP, Solar Cogeneration, Rapeseed Biodiesel, Solar Electric Heat Pumps, Solar Electric Power Systems, Solar Heating and Cooling, Solar Trigeneration, Soy Biodiesel, Trigeneration, and Watersource Heatpumps. What is
Net Energy Metering? * Increasingly
greater costs of power from electric utilities, whose power plants
generate power from non-renewable fossil fuels such as oil, coal, and
natural gas. * Prices for generating clean, "green" power "onsite" are now competitive, and many times, less expensive than buying dirty, "brown" power from the electric utility and the grid. * The Renewable Portfolio Standards for each state require an increasingly greater amount of green power to be generated each year. The EPA and DOE are discussing that as much as 20% of the nation's electricity be generated from renewable energy resources. As there may be days when excessive clouds may reduce the amount of solar energy that is generated by a renewable energy system, the customer may still require additional "brown" electricity on those days their solar system may not be able to produce their daily requirements. So, a "net energy meter" is installed on these homes and businesses wherein the meter can travel in both directions. So, on days the solar powered system produces more than the home or business needs, the excess green power flows to the grid for resale by the local electric utility, and the meter "spins backwards." On days the solar system may not be able to produce enough energy, "brown" power is "purchased" from the local electric utility, and the net energy meter spins in the opposite direction. At the end of the month, there is either a net export or transfer of green power from the home or business to the grid, or a net import or transfer of brown power from the local electric utility to the home or business. The net energy meter accurately calculates the balance of green power sold to the grid from the homeowner or business or the amount of brown power that is imported or sold from the electric utility to the home owner or business. What is Net Zero Energy and What are Net Zero Energy Buildings? Net Zero Energy Buildings produce as much energy and power as they use. And many times, they produce more power and energy than they use, and in doing so, if connected to the grid with “Net Energy Metering,” the meters reverse and the building or home owner receives one or more credits, which may also include a “Renewable Energy Credit.” Net Zero Energy Homes and Commercial buildings incorporate "net zero energy " power and energy systems such as "solar heating and cooling," solar thermal collectors, solar electric power systems, and solar trigeneration. The Audubon Center at Debs Park in Los Angeles installs Solar Trigeneration power and energy system, WITHOUT ANY ELECTRIC CONNECTIONS TO THE GRID OR ELECTRIC UTILITY! Read our Audubon Center press release here. We provide
Solar
Power and Energy systems that we refer
to as "ecogeneration™" solutions that produce cooler,
cleaner, greener power and energy for our customers and our environment.
Unlike most companies, we are equipment supplier/vendor neutral.
This means we help our clients select the best equipment for their
specific application. This approach provides our customers with superior
performance, decreased operating expenses and increased return on
investment. Our company provides turn-key project solutions that include all or part of the following:
For more information: call us at: 832-758-0027 Solar Trigeneration is Pollution-Free-Power and Carbon Free Energy Through the Simultaneous Generation of Cooling, Heating and Power. "Cut
the Cord" to Your Electric Company and REBATES,
INCENTIVES, GREEN TAGS
Our Solar Heating and Cooling System - Uses the "free" Power of the Sun to Heat and Cool your Commercial Business or Home for Free! Cooling and heating your building (home, office, school, hospital, etc.) costs you up to 60%, or more, every month you receive your electric bill. You can eliminate the heating and cooling portion of your electric bill forever, and cool and heat your home with the sun's power with our Solar Heating and Cooling system! Our Solar Heating and Cooling system is the cleanest, greenest, and lowest cost method to cool and warm your home or commercial office or other buildings. Our Solar Heating and Cooling system will eliminate your energy costs for heating and cooling your home, office, school, or any other commercial facility for *free: Requires the purchase of our Solar Heating and Cooling system. Minimum size is 10 tons. You must be located in a qualified geographic location, which means our system must be located to receive direct sunlight. For qualified customers, we will install the system with little to no money down and you pay for the system with the savings our system provides! Solar Absorption Cooling. Solar heat can be used to displace electricity used for cooling. Absorption chillers use a heat source, such as natural gas or hot water from solar collectors, to evaporate the already-pressurized refrigerant from an absorbent/refrigerant mixture. Condensation of vapors provides the same cooling effect as that provided by mechanical cooling systems. Although absorption chillers require electricity for pumping the refrigerant, the amount is very small compared to that consumed by a compressor in a conventional electric air conditioner or refrigerator. Solar Absorption Cooling systems are typically sized to carry the full air conditioning load during sunny periods. Let
Us Help You Design, Install and Buy Your Combination We provide Demand Side Management design and project development solutions that may provide a return on investment in less than 12 months. We also offer energy-saving technologies that may include; Absorption Chillers, Adsorption Chillers, Automated Demand Response, Cogeneration, Demand Response Programs, Demand Side Management, Energy Master Planning, Engine Driven Chillers, Trigeneration and Energy Conservation Measures. Our company provides turn-key project solutions that include all or part of the following:
For more information: call us at: 281-955-7343 or 832-758-0027 U.S. Department of Energy - Energy Efficiency and Renewable EnergyEnergy Security and the State Energy ProgramBy Maurice Kaya,
Energy security is as critical today as it was when the first state energy offices (SEOs) opened their doors in the 1970s. In those days, the United States was dependent on overseas suppliers for less than 40 percent of the country's oil needs, and a key objective of the Nixon Administration's "Project Independence" was to reduce that level of reliance. Since then, as former Energy Secretary Bill Richardson said in 1999, "Oil has literally made foreign and security policy for decades." Today we are dependent on foreign countries for 60 percent of our petroleum needs1. Although the oil import trend has been decidedly in the wrong direction, the good news is that now we are poised to benefit from almost 30 years of research and development in energy efficiency, renewable fuels, and renewable energy technologies (RETs). Points of VulnerabilityUnlike distributed resources, our modern energy infrastructure requires large central-station power plants and extensive distribution systems, both of which are susceptible to acts of terrorism or natural disaster. Anyone who doubts the vulnerability of our national electricity grid need only recall a hot summer night several years ago, when an untrimmed tree limb succumbed to winds and dropped on a line in Oregon. In a cascading series of events, the lights went out west of the Mississippi River. Liquid fuels flow through pipelines that also experience periodic disruptions. Imports come to us on tankers passing through shipping lanes that are potentially as vulnerable as that power line in Oregon. And it is difficult and costly to protect all terminuses and refineries from any eventuality. Furthermore, the cost of overseas supplies is subject to the influence of nationalist regimes and the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). The Price of DependencyPetroleum is our number one fuel, and our consumption of it continues to grow at a rate faster than all other primary energy sources2. Today the U.S. consumes more than a quarter of the world's oil—more than the next five oil-consuming countries combined3. In 2000, our imports cost U.S. consumers $109 billion4, an amount equal to 25% of our country's balance-of-trade deficit for the year5. In part because oil producing countries in the Organization of Economic Development and Cooperation (OECD) are pumping their reserves faster than the OPEC countries, OPEC is expected to control an even greater portion of the world's oil in 20 years than it does today6. In addition, the demand for petroleum will continue to increase in the late-developing countries as their domestic economies grow. The combined forces of increased demand and finite supply can be expected to maintain upward pressure on price.
Strategic geo-political alliances will continue to be made, based on the need for the resource of the "oil have-nots" and on the need for foreign currency in the "oil haves." Countries on the "wrong" side of these alliances might experience reduced oil supplies or dramatically increased prices. In the last 30 years, each of three oil price shocks in the U.S. was precipitated by a political crisis in the Middle East. Moreover, after each shock, the U.S. suffered an economic recession. While no credible experts argue that it is possible to go "off" imported oil in the near- or mid-term, energy efficiency, RETs, and domestically produced renewable fuels can reduce the extent of our dependence on foreign countries for the energy lifeline of our economy. A Proven PerformerUnlike 30 years ago when the Nixon Administration first tried to wean our country off foreign oil following the Arab Oil Embargo of 1973, the assumed one-to-one relationship between energy inputs and economic outputs no longer exists. This is due to energy efficiency—the U.S. economy is almost 40 percent more energy efficient than it was in 1970. Put another way, one could say that the U.S. today obtains 40 percent of its "energy services" from energy efficiency compared with thirty years ago4.
Moreover, it takes energy to make and deliver energy to the point of use. Twenty years ago, the Texas energy office estimated the amount of energy actually saved through efficiency and conservation. It derived the following equation: 1 barrel of oil saved = 1.4 barrels "earned"7 Efficiency, by its nature, reduces the need for conventional energy—whether liquid fuels in the transportation sector, fuels for electricity and space conditioning in the buildings sector, or process fuels in the industrial sector. Because 67 percent of U.S. petroleum is consumed in its vehicles and most imported oil is delivered to refineries that produce motor fuels, many state energy programs target the transportation sector. Some aim to directly reduce the number of vehicle miles traveled (VMT). For example, the Washington Energy Office created the Commute Trip Reduction program in 1991. Today, some 18,500 vehicle trips are eliminated statewide every day because of this program. This translates into 207,000 fewer VMT and 12.8 fewer tons of air pollution per year. In 1999, this program saved more than $8 million in avoided fuel purchases for Washington residents8. Other state programs make traffic flow more efficiently. For example, many states have adjusted timing of traffic lights through computerized control so that cars do not hit every red light on a thoroughfare and do not idle more than necessary. They have also installed low-energy traffic signals and adopted other promising techniques. The efficiency equation is very simple: reducing VMT and making traffic flow more efficiently reduces imports of foreign oil. Finally, SEOs sponsor public education campaigns and set examples with their own fleets of vehicles. Through such programs, SEOs have been key to market acceptance of fuel-efficient cars and trucks, alternative fuel vehicles, and renewable fuels. Renewable Fuels and Resilient, Distributed EnergyBoth renewable fuels and distributed energy power generation rely on local energy resources that have implications for our energy security. Renewable fuels can be produced domestically from biomass—material from plants and crops—potentially providing new markets for rural producers. Most important, utilizing renewable fuels directly reduces our dependence on overseas oil suppliers. For example, corn ethanol can be produced on America's farms for $25–$30 per barrel9 and is mixed with gasoline in varying proportions. Nationwide, ethanol is catching on, due partly to state energy programs. And DOE research to produce ethanol from agriculture and forestry residues is bearing fruit in the construction of this country's first biomass-to-ethanol plant in Louisiana. Meanwhile, Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota, Nebraska, and Wisconsin are among the most active states promoting domestically produced ethanol. In Iowa, for example, ethanol production and consumption adds more than $1.7 billion to the state economy10. The ethanol industry accounts for 2,550 jobs in the state and affects an additional 10,000 jobs. Altogether, Iowans consumed 57 million gallons of ethanol for transportation fuel in 1997, displacing 790,000 barrels of imported oil in that state alone. Distributed applications of renewable energy in buildings, off-grid, and in mini-grids also contributes to our nation's security. This is because distributed generation offsets the need for an equivalent amount of central-station power generation and the related wires to distribute it. Electricity, heating, or cooling is produced close to where it is used, which leads to greater environmental benefits since these systems tend to be more efficient and can reduce transmission and distribution system losses. Sprinkling generation from renewable resources throughout the fragile power distribution system strengthens it through decentralization. States are leading efforts to create public and private partnerships to accelerate the use of advanced technologies such as the hydrogen fuel cell. Notable examples include the California Fuel Cell Partnership and an emerging partnership being developed by the Hawaii Energy Office. Hawaii's abundant renewable energy resources and unique energy environment are leading to greater use of hydrogen from renewable energy sources. State Energy SolutionsToday, the network of state energy offices has become an important element of our national energy scene. SEO programs match energy innovations to local conditions and economies. The SEOs are naturally suited to crafting, testing, and demonstrating solutions to today's energy security challenges. Long before the terrorist attacks of September 11, state energy offices have developed formal plans to respond to an energy emergency. Under DOE's State Energy Program (SEP) and predecessor programs, states have had energy emergency plans in place for more than a decade. In 1998, DOE's Atlanta Regional Office published model guidelines for incorporating energy efficiency and renewable energy in state energy emergency plans. (Staff from DOE headquarters and from the Alliance to Save Energy also played a role in developing this document.) Today SEP plays a critical role in helping states with their energy programs. Part of making it work is coordinating state and national policies on energy security, according to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) State Energy Advisory Board (STEAB). In its 2001 Annual Report, STEAB upholds the critical role of the states in carrying out national energy priorities. Now more than ever, these priorities must include energy efficiency and renewable energy. Notes: Reducing Dependence on Imported OilEIA's Persian Gulf Oil and Gas Exports Fact SheetDOE's Energy Information Administration (EIA) publishes this in-depth fact sheet about the oil exports and reserves of the countries in the Persian Gulf. These countries—Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates—contain more than half of the world's petroleum reserves and a third of its natural gas reserves. Western Europe (OECD member nations) and Japan are much more dependent on Persian Gulf oil than is the United States. Oil-exporting countries in the Persian Gulf are exported to participate in a greater share of world oil markets over the next two decades than they do today. California workshop to reduce dependence on imported oil.The California Energy Commission publishes a series of documents outlining how the state can reduce consumption of foreign-produced oil, including:
Reducing Dependence on Foreign OilLight Duty Automotive Technology and Fuel Economy Trends 1975
through 2001—Executive Summary (PDF
36 KB) Download
Acrobat Reader. For information on individual models, see DOE's 2002 Fuel Economy Guide. Hybrid
Electric Vehicles
Biofuels
and Energy Security State Energy Advisory Board (STEAB) Releases Report to DOEIn Mid-October, the State Energy Advisory Board (STEAB) consisting of state energy officials issued a report to DOE citing the "compelling advantages of energy efficiency and renewable energy in meeting our nation's energy needs... especially in light of our current and potential conflicts in the oil-rich Middle East and Persian Gulf regions." STEAB publishes the entire report online, titled Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy - A No-Regrets Path to America's Energy Future. (PDF 4.8 MB) Download Acrobat Reader., 35 pp; August 2001. Security and Reliability of the U.S. Electricity Supply
DOE Energy Assurance Conference Dimensions of Reliability - Electric System Reliability for
Elected Officials Least-Cost Paths to Reliability - 10 Questions for PolicymakersIn a related publication, the Regulatory Assistance Project's Issueletter addresses the question of reliability of the electricity system from a cost perspective. This short newsletter article written for utility regulators and energy policy makers takes you through the cost calculation of the traditional method for increasing the reliability of the electric system for a typical electric utility, namely, purchasing a combustion turbine to be used as a peaking unit; 6 pp; June 1999. State Energy Emergency PlansNASEO Recommendations to Enhance Energy Security and Improve
Federal and State Energy Emergency Mitigation and Response Capabilities Model Guidelines for Incorporating Energy Efficiency and Renewable
Energy into State Emergency Plans (PDF
158 KB) Download
Acrobat Reader. Energy Emergency Information CoordinatorsNASEO also publishes the name and phone number of the primary contact in each state in the event of an emergency. This procedure has been in place for more than a decade, and its importance was underscored by the terrorist attacks of September 11; 2 pp.; revised February 2002. California's
Energy Emergency Contingency Plan Iowa Energy Emergency Plan Absorption chillers use heat instead of mechanical energy to provide cooling. A thermal compressor consists of an absorber, a generator, a pump, and a throttling device, and replaces the mechanical vapor compressor. In
the chiller, refrigerant vapor from the evaporator is absorbed by a
solution mixture in the absorber. This solution is then pumped to the
generator. There the refrigerant re-vaporizes using a waste steam heat
source. The refrigerant-depleted solution then returns to the absorber via
a throttling device. The two most common refrigerant/ absorbent mixtures
used in absorption chillers are water/lithium bromide and ammonia/water. Compared
with mechanical chillers, absorption chillers have a low coefficient of
performance (COP = chiller load/heat input). However, absorption chillers
can substantially reduce operating costs because they are powered by
low-grade waste heat. Vapor compression chillers, by contrast, must be
motor- or engine-driven. Low-pressure,
steam-driven absorption chillers are available in capacities ranging from
100 to 1,500 tons. Absorption chillers come in two commercially available
designs: single-effect and double-effect. Single-effect machines provide a
thermal COP of 0.7 and require about 18 pounds of
15-pound-per-square-inch-gauge (psig) steam per ton-hour of cooling.
Double-effect machines are about 40% more efficient, but require a higher
grade of thermal input, using about 10 pounds of 100- to 150-psig steam
per ton-hour. A
single-effect absorption machine means all condensing heat cools and
condenses in the condenser. From there it is released to the cooling
water. A double-effect machine adopts a higher heat efficiency of
condensation and divides the generator into a high-temperature and a
low-temperature generator.
In
short, absorption cooling may fit when a source of free or low-cost heat
is available, or if objections exist to using conventional refrigeration.
Essentially, the low-cost heat source displaces higher-cost electricity in
a conventional chiller. In
Practice
Annual
Savings = 300 tons x (12,000 Btu/ton / 4.0) x 4,000 hrs/yr x $0.05/kWh x
kWh/3,413 Btu = $52,740
Determine
the cost-effectiveness of displacing a portion of your cooling load with a
waste steam absorption chiller by taking the following steps:
Absorption Chiller Refrigeration CycleThe basic cooling cycle is the same for the absorption and electric chillers. Both systems use a low-temperature liquid refrigerant that absorbs heat from the water to be cooled and converts to a vapor phase (in the evaporator section). The refrigerant vapors are then compressed to a higher pressure (by a compressor or a generator), converted back into a liquid by rejecting heat to the external surroundings (in the condenser section), and then expanded to a low- pressure mixture of liquid and vapor (in the expander section) that goes back to the evaporator section and the cycle is repeated. The basic difference between the electric chillers and absorption chillers is that an electric chiller uses an electric motor for operating a compressor used for raising the pressure of refrigerant vapors and an absorption chiller uses heat for compressing refrigerant vapors to a high-pressure. The rejected heat from the power-generation equipment (e.g. turbines, microturbines, and engines) may be used with an absorption chiller to provide the cooling in a CHP system. The basic absorption cycle employs two fluids, the absorbate or refrigerant, and the absorbent. The most commonly fluids are water as the refrigerant and lithium bromide as the absorbent. These fluids are separated and recombined in the absorption cycle. In the absorption cycle the low-pressure refrigerant vapor is absorbed into the absorbent releasing a large amount of heat. The liquid refrigerant/absorbent solution is pumped to a high-operating pressure generator using significantly less electricity than that for compressing the refrigerant for an electric chiller. Heat is added at the high-pressure generator from a gas burner, steam, hot water or hot gases. The added heat causes the refrigerant to desorb from the absorbent and vaporize. The vapors flow to a condenser, where heat is rejected and condense to a high-pressure liquid. The liquid is then throttled though an expansion valve to the lower pressure in the evaporator where it evaporates by absorbing heat and provides useful cooling. The remaining liquid absorbent, in the generator passes through a valve, where its pressure is reduced, and then is recombined with the low-pressure refrigerant vapors returning from the evaporator so the cycle can be repeated. Absorption chillers are used to generate cold water (44°F) that is circulated to air handlers in the distribution system for air conditioning. "Indirect-fired" absorption chillers use steam, hot water or hot gases steam from a boiler, turbine or engine generator, or fuel cell as their primary power input. Theses chillers can be well suited for integration into a CHP system for buildings by utilizing the rejected heat from the electric generation process, thereby providing high operating efficiencies through use of otherwise wasted energy. "Direct-fired" systems contain natural gas burners; rejected heat from these chillers can be used to regenerate desiccant dehumidifiers or provide hot water. Commercially absorption chillers can be single-effect or multiple-effect. The above schematic refers to a single-effect absorption chiller. Multiple-effect absorption chillers are more efficient and discussed below. Multiple-Effect Absorption Chillers In a single-effect absorption chiller, the heat released during the chemical process of absorbing refrigerant vapor into the liquid stream, rich in absorbent, is rejected to the environment. In a multiple-effect absorption chiller, some of this energy is used as the driving force to generate more refrigerant vapor. The more vapor generated per unit of heat or fuel input, the greater the cooling capacity and the higher the overall operating efficiency. A double-effect chiller uses two generators paired with a single condenser, absorber, and evaporator. It requires a higher temperature heat input to operate and therefore they are limited in the type of electrical generation equipment they can be paired with when used in a CHP System. Triple-effect chillers can achieve even higher efficiencies than the double-effect chillers. These chillers require still higher elevated operating temperatures that can limit choices in materials and refrigerant/absorbent pairs. Triple-effect chillers are under development by manufacturers working in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Energy. * Geothermal Energy... Power from the DepthsThe Earth's crust is a bountiful source of energy—and fossil fuels are only part of the story. Heat or thermal energy is by far the more abundant resource. To put it in perspective, the thermal energy in the uppermost six miles of the Earth's crust amounts to 50,000 times the energy of all oil and gas resources in the world! The word "geothermal" literally means "Earth" plus "heat." The geothermal resource is the world's largest energy resource and has been used by people for centuries. In addition, it is environmentally friendly. It is a renewable resource and can be used in ways that respect rather than upset our planet's delicate environmental balance. Geothermal power plants operating around the world are proof that the Earth's thermal energy is readily converted to electricity in geologically active areas. Many communities, commercial enterprises, universities, and public facilities in the western United States are heated directly with the water from underground reservoirs. For the homeowner or building owner anywhere in the United States, the emergence of geothermal heat pumps brings the benefits of geothermal energy to everyone's doorstep. The Basics There's a relatively simple concept underlying all the ways geothermal energy is used: The flow of thermal energy is available from beneath the surface of the Earth and especially from subterranean reservoirs of hot water. Over the years, technologies have evolved that allow us to take advantage of this heat. In fact, electric power plants driven by geothermal energy provide over 44 billion kilowatt hours of electricity worldwide per year, and world capacity is growing at approximately 9% per year. To produce electric power from geothermal resources, underground reservoirs of steam or hot water are tapped by wells and the steam rotates turbines that generate electricity. Typically, water is then returned to the ground to recharge the reservoir and complete the renewable energy cycle. Underground reservoirs are also tapped for "direct-use" applications. In these instances, hot water is channeled to greenhouses, spas, fish farms, and homes to fill space heating and hot water needs. Geothermal energy use extends beyond underground reservoirs. The soil and near-surface rocks, from 5 to 50 feet deep, have a nearly constant temperature from geothermal heating. As a homeowner or business owner, you can use the Earth as a heat source or heat sink with geothermal heat pumps. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), geothermal heat pumps are one of the nation's most efficient—and therefore least polluting—heating, cooling, and water-heating systems available. In winter, these systems draw on "earth heat" to warm the house, and in summer they transfer heat from the house to the earth, which ranges in temperature from 50° to 70°F (10° to 21°C) depending on latitude. A Clear Advantage Geothermal energy delivers some powerful environmental and economic benefits. If you live in an area that uses geothermal resources for electricity production, you're quite fortunate. Consider Lake County, California, which is home to many of the geothermal power plants at our nation's best-developed geothermal resource, The Geysers. It's no coincidence that the Lake County air basin is the first and only one in compliance with all of California's stringent air quality regulations. Perhaps you own a greenhouse and need to cut exorbitant energy bills in order to stay in business. If you are located near a geothermal resource, you should know that most greenhouse growers estimate that direct use of geothermal resources instead of traditional energy sources reduces heating costs by up to 80%. This can save about 5% to 8% in total operating cost. Assume you're a home or business owner who has installed a geothermal heat pump. You're not only doing your part to help make the world a cleaner place to live and breathe, you're rewarded with low operating and maintenance costs, and, usually, lowest life-cycle costs. (Life-cycle cost is the total cost of the equipment spread over the useful life of the equipment.) In practical terms, your heat pump investment may cost you $15 per month more in mortgage payments, but it may save you $30 per month on your electric bill. In all three of these cases, domestic, not foreign, resources are being used—a practice that has merits all its own. Nearly half of our nation's annual trade deficit would be obliterated if we could displace imported oil with domestic energy resources. A nation's trade deficit represents a permanent loss of wealth for the citizens of that nation. Keeping the wealth at home translates to more jobs and a robust economy. And not only does our national economic and employment picture improve, but a vital measure of national security is gained when we control our own energy supplies. Types of Geothermal Resources The center of the Earth is 4000 miles (6400 kilometers) deep. How hot is this region? Our best guess is 7200°F (4000°C) or higher. Partially molten rock, at temperatures between 1200° and 2200°F (650° to 1200°C), is believed to exist at depths of 50 to 60 miles (80 to 100 kilometers). Heat is constantly flowing from the Earth's interior to the surface. Most types of geothermal resources—hydrothermal, geopressured, hot dry rock, and magma—result from concentration of Earth's thermal energy within certain discrete regions of the subsurface. Hydrothermal resources are reservoirs of steam or hot water, which are formed by water seeping into the earth and collecting in, and being heated by fractured or porous hot rock. These reservoirs are tapped by drilling wells to deliver hot water to the surface for generation of electricity or direct use. Hot water resources exist in abundance around the world. In the United States, the hottest (and currently most valuable) resources are located in the western states, and Alaska and Hawaii. Technologies to tap hydrothermal resources are proven commercial processes. Geopressured resources are deeply buried waters at moderate temperature that contain dissolved methane. While technologies are available to tap geopressured resources, they are not currently economically competitive. In the United States, this resource base is located in the Gulf coast regions of Texas and Louisiana. Hot dry rock resources occur at depths of 5 to 10 miles (8 to 16 kilometers) everywhere beneath the Earth's surface, and at shallower depths in certain areas. Access to these resources involves injecting cold water down one well, circulating it through hot fractured rock, and drawing off the now hot water from another well. This promising technology has been proven feasible, but no commercial applications are in use at this time. Magma (or molten rock) resources offer extremely high-temperature geothermal opportunities, but existing technology does not allow recovery of heat from these resources. Earth energy is the heat contained in soil and rocks at shallow depths. This resource is tapped by geothermal heat pumps. Geothermal Power Plants—from Water to Light Flip a switch and light up a room—what could be easier? Push a button on the TV remote control and be entertained. It all seems so simple that we are often unaware of the true environmental and social cost of these conveniences—and who would want to give them up even if we had to account for every penny? But rather than thinking in terms of giving things up, let's think positively: in the United States, right now, the installed generating capacity for geothermal stands at about 2700 megawatts. That's the equivalent of about 58 million barrels of oil, and provides enough electricity for 3.7 million people. The cost of producing this power ranges from 4¢ to 8¢ per kilowatt hour. The geothermal industry is working to achieve a geothermal life-cycle energy cost of 3¢ per kilowatt hour. And remember, this is clean energy produced from domestic resources. How clean? In terms of air emissions, geothermal power plants have an inherent advantage over fossil fuel plants because no combustion takes place. Geothermal plants emit no nitrogen oxides and very low amounts of sulfur dioxide—allowing them to easily meet the most stringent clean air standards. The steam at some steam plants contains hydrogen sulfide, but treatment processes remove more than 99.9% of those emissions. Typical emissions of hydrogen sulfide from geothermal plants are less than 1 part per billion—well below what people can smell. The low levels of air emissions produced are mostly carbon dioxide, which many people believe acts as a greenhouse gas to trap heat within Earth's atmosphere. Even so, geothermal plants emit minimal amounts of carbon dioxide—1/1000 to 1/2000 of the amount produced by fossil-fuel plants. Geothermal water sometimes contains salts and dissolved minerals. In the United States, the geothermal water is usually injected back into the reservoir from where it came, at a depth well below groundwater aquifers, after its heat energy has been extracted. This recycles the geothermal water and replenishes the reservoir. However, some geothermal plants also produce some solid materials, or sludges, that require disposal in approved sites. All U.S. geothermal power plants are located in the states of California, Nevada, Utah, and Hawaii—home to some of the most majestic scenery on Earth. It's fortunate, then, that these plants consume only a small amount of land, and can coexist with numerous other land uses, including agriculture, with minimal impact on the surrounding beauty. They're reliable and efficient, too. Taken as a group, geothermal power plants are available to generate power 95% or more of the time; they are seldom off-line for maintenance or repair. And, they have the highest capacity factors of all types of power plants. Capacity factor is the ratio of the amount of electricity a plant produces to how much electricity it is capable of producing. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
