Geothermal Energy

Our planet Earth is, among other things, a very complex system in which every particle of mass matter and since the very beginning these particles have been part of the development of our Planet.

If we would want to dig a hole in the ground, as we go dipper, we would notice two important characteristics of the Earth: the first one would be that the Planet is made out of layers of different type of materials and the other one would be that as we go dipper into the Earth’s layers, the temperature increases. This is because the inside of the Earth is full of heat.

The Earth have managed a way to eject this heat out of the inside, the most common way is through volcanos and it is in this process that we, humas, can take advantage of the energy that our own planet has, and that we now call Geothermal Energy.



We can use this energy in two different ways

·        Geothermal power plants

They use heat from deep inside the Earth to generate steam to make electricity. Wells are drilled 1 or 2 miles deep into the Earth to pump steam or hot water to the surface. These plants are most likely installed in an area that has a lot of hot springs, geysers, or volcanic activity, because these are places where the Earth is particularly hot just below the surface.



  1. Hot water is pumped from deep underground through a well under high pressure.
  2. When the water reaches the surface, the pressure is dropped, which causes the water to turn into steam.
  3.  The steam spins a turbine, which is connected to a generator that produces electricity.
  4. The steam cools off in a cooling tower and condenses back to water.
  5. The cooled water is pumped back into the Earth to begin the process again.      Geothermal heat pumps, which tap into heat close to the Earth's surface to heat water or provide heat for buildings.

·        Geothermal heat pumps

We can also use the high temperatures of the Earth to either warm up or cool down a building or a house, increase the temperature of a pool or even use the warm water to shower. These systems transfer heat by pumping water or a refrigerant through pipes below the Earth's surface, where the temperature is a constant 50 to 60°F.

During the winter, the water or refrigerant absorbs warmth from the Earth, and the pump brings this heat to the building above. In the summer, some heat pumps can run in reverse and help cool buildings.



  1. Water or a refrigerant move through a loop of pipes.
  2. When the weather is cold, the water or refrigerant heats up as it travels through the part of the loop that's buried underground.
  3. Once it gets back above ground, the warmed water or refrigerant transfers heat into the building.
  4. The water or refrigerant cools down after its heat is transferred. It is pumped back underground where it heats up once more, starting the process again.
  5. During summer, the system can run in reverse. The water or refrigerant cools the building and then is pumped underground where extra heat is transferred to the ground around the pipes.

What's good and not so good?

There are many advantages of geothermal energy. It can be extracted without burning a fossil fuel such as coal, gas, or oil. Compared to a clean natural-gas power plant, Geothermal fields does not produce too much of carbo dioxide. Binary plants release essentially no emissions. The main advantage is that geothermal energy is always available, 365 days a year. It’s also relatively inexpensive; savings from direct use can be as much as 80 percent over fossil fuels.

But it has some environmental problems. The main concern is the release of hydrogen sulfide, a gas that smells like rotten egg at low concentrations. Another concern is the disposal of some geothermal fluids, which may contain low levels of toxic materials. Although geothermal sites are capable of providing heat for many decades, eventually specific locations may cool down.

Geothermal Energy in Guatemala

While in other coutries like the U. S. or Iceland are pioneers in this field, Guatemala is still developing this type of renewable energy.

Since 1972, Instituto Nacional de Electrificacion (INDE), has been studiying some areas throughout the country where the conditions meet the specifications of a geothermal field. So far, they have found 13, where we can highlight Zunil, San Marcos, Amatitlan and Totonicapan, just to mention some fields. However, only two geothermal plants are currently working in Guatemala, according to a report of the Ministerio de Energia y Minas (MEM), these two plants in 2018 generated a total of 49.2 MW of installed capacity, and IRENA states that in 2019 that amount increased to 52 MW.

The two working plants are: 

  • Zunil I Geothermal Plant: it has an installed capacity of 24 MW and it is located in Zunil, Quetzaltenango. It starte to operate in August, 1999.


  • Ortitlan Geothermal Plant: Located in Amatitlan, Guatemala. This plant has an installed capacity of 25.2 MW. It started to operate in July, 2007.


Source:

https://www.irena.org/geothermal
http://www.cnee.gob.gt/wp/?page_id=3293
https://www.mem.gob.gt/2015/11/acuerdo-ministerial-332-2015-autoriza-central-geotermica-de-50-mw/


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