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My Script in Geothermal Power Plant

The document discusses the future of geothermal power plants in the Philippines. It states that the Philippines government aims to nearly double geothermal capacity by 2040 to supply about 12% of the country's energy. There are currently seven active geothermal fields and 35 contracts being monitored by the Department of Energy. The geothermal energy market is expected to grow over 1.5% annually until 2025, though high installation costs may restrain growth. The government also has a target to phase out coal by 2040 and increase renewable sources like geothermal.

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Ariel Gamboa
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611 views

My Script in Geothermal Power Plant

The document discusses the future of geothermal power plants in the Philippines. It states that the Philippines government aims to nearly double geothermal capacity by 2040 to supply about 12% of the country's energy. There are currently seven active geothermal fields and 35 contracts being monitored by the Department of Energy. The geothermal energy market is expected to grow over 1.5% annually until 2025, though high installation costs may restrain growth. The government also has a target to phase out coal by 2040 and increase renewable sources like geothermal.

Uploaded by

Ariel Gamboa
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Future of Geothermal Power Plants

According to a Philippine Energy Plan from the year of 2016-2030 report by the
Department of Energy (DOE), the government is strengthening its push to mainstream
renewable energy projects to diversify the country’s energy sourcing and to boost power
supply. The country is said to have 35 Geothermal Service Contracts (GSCs) currently
being monitored and supervised by the DOE. Once these contracts commence
operation, they will significantly boost existing capacity of renewable energy to the grid.
For now, the Philippines currently has seven geothermal fields which supply about 12
percent of the nation’s energy, with a long-term plan to nearly double capacity by 2040.

 The Philippines geothermal energy market is expected to grow at a Compound


Annual Growth Rate of more than 1.5% during the forecast period of 2020-2025.

 Factors such as increasing energy demand and the need for cleaner energy are
likely to drive the Philippines' geothermal energy market during the forecast
period. However, low domestic investment, due to the high installation cost of the
geothermal plants, is expected to restrain the Philippines geothermal energy
market in the forecast period.

 Counties geothermal capacity in 2015 was 1916 megawatts (MW) and increased
to 1928 megawatts (MW) by the year 2019. Moreover, the government has
planned to generate more than 500 gigawatt-hours (GWh) electricity from the
geothermal energy by the end of 2030.

 Philippines government has a target to phase out its coal usage by 2040 and
focus more on energy production from natural gas and renewable. This can
create several opportunities for the Philippines geothermal energy market in the
future.

 The Philippines geothermal energy market is consolidated. Some of the key


players in this market include Philippine Geothermal Production Company, Inc.,
Energy Development Corporation, National Power Corporation, Aboitiz Power
Corporation, and Aragorn Power and Energy Corporation (APC Group Inc.).
Advantages and Disadvantages

Geothermal power plant stations bring about several benefits, but they also
have their own drawbacks. Check out the lists below to learn about their
advantages and disadvantages.

What are the Advantages of Using Geothermal?


1. Environmentally Friendly

Geothermal energy is more environmentally friendly than conventional fuel sources


such as coal and other fossil fuels. In addition, the carbon footprint of a geothermal
power plant is low. While there is some pollution associated with geothermal energy,
this is relatively minimal when compared to fossil fuels.

2. Renewable

Geothermal energy is a source of renewable energy that will last until the Earth is
destroyed by the sun in around 5 billion years. The hot reservoirs within the Earth are
naturally replenished, making it both renewable and sustainable.

3. Huge Potential

Worldwide energy consumption is currently around 15 terawatts, which is far from the
total potential energy available from geothermal sources. While we can’t currently use
most reservoirs there is a hope that the number of exploitable geothermal resources will
increase with ongoing research and development in the industry. It is currently
estimated that geothermal power plants could provide between 0.0035 and 2 terawatts
of power.

4. Sustainable / Stable

Geothermal provides a reliable source of energy as compared to other renewable


resources such as wind and solar power. This is because the resource is always
available to be tapped into, unlike with wind or solar energy.

5. Heating and Cooling

Effective use of geothermal for electricity generation requires water temperatures of


over 150°C to drive turbines. Alternatively, the temperature difference between the
surface and a ground source can be used. Due to the ground being more resistant to
seasonal heat changes than the air, it can act as a heat sink/ source with a geothermal
heat pump just two metres below the surface.
6. Reliable

Energy generated from this resource is easy to calculate since it does not fluctuate in
the same way as other energy sources, such as solar and wind. This means we can
predict the power output from a geothermal plant with a high degree of accuracy.

7. No Fuel Required

Since geothermal energy is a naturally occurring resource there is no fuel required,


such as with fossil fuels that are a finite resource which needs mining or otherwise
extracting from the earth.

8. Rapid Evolution

There is a great deal of exploration into geothermal energy at the moment, meaning that
new technologies are being created to improve the energy process. There are an
increasing number of projects to improve and grow this area of industry. With this rapid
evolution many of the current cons of geothermal energy will be mitigated against.

What are the Disadvantages of Geothermal Energy?


1. Location Restricted

The largest single disadvantage of geothermal energy is that it is location specific.


Geothermal plants need to be built in places where the energy is accessible, which
means that some areas are not able to exploit this resource. Of course, this is not a
problem if you live in a place where geothermal energy is readily accessible, such as
Iceland.

2. Environmental Side Effects

Although geothermal energy does not typically release greenhouse gases, there are
many of these gases stored under the Earth’s surface which are released into the
atmosphere during digging. While these gases are also released into the atmosphere
naturally, the rate increases near geothermal plants. However, these gas emissions are
still far lower than those associated with fossil fuels.

3. Earthquakes

Geothermal energy also runs the risk of triggering earthquakes. This is due to
alterations in the Earth’s structure as a result of digging. This problem is more prevalent
with enhanced geothermal power plants, which force water into the Earth’s crust to
open up fissures to greater exploitation of the resource. However, since most
geothermal plants are away from population centres, the implications of these
earthquakes are relatively minor.
4. High Costs

Geothermal energy is an expensive resource to tap into, with price tags ranging from
around $2-$7 million for a plant with a 1 megawatt capacity. However, where the upfront
costs are high, the outlay can be recouped as part of a long-term investment.

5. Sustainability

In order to maintain the sustainability of geothermal energy fluid needs to be pumped


back into the underground reservoirs faster than it is depleted. This means that
geothermal energy needs to be properly managed to maintain its sustainability.

It is important for industry to assess the geothermal energy pros and cons in order to
take account of the advantages while mitigating against any potential problems.

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