How Does a Geothermal Power Plant Work?

You must’ve heard about geothermal energy and its capability to transform the future of oil and gas companies. But what makes geothermal energy so precious and a highly sought-after alternative to traditional fuel solutions? Experts say that geothermal power, being a renewable source of energy, can be a glistening choice for oil and gas companies looking to improve their efforts in sustainable, clean, and safe drilling practices.

A report also suggests that the number of geothermal power plants is growing steadily and will reach an all-time high in the coming years.

Continue reading to learn how a geothermal power plant works and a lot more.

The Process

A geothermal power plant consists of three main components: a geothermal reservoir, a power plant, and an electricity grid. Multiple complex operations are involved in each of these components, making it highly important for geothermal well operators to use data management tools.

Advanced solutions not only help them stay on top of their plant’s operations but also allow them to track performance and generate timely reports for client and supplier satisfaction.

The primary objective of running a geothermal power plant is to tap into the earth’s natural, renewable heat content and convert it into electric energy.

Here’s a step-by-step, detailed discussion of how the aforementioned components function to deliver the result:

Step 1: The Geothermal Reservoir Provides the Heat

The first step to generating electricity using geothermal energy is extracting the heat trapped inside the earth. It’s abundant and harvested to make geothermal operations easier, more efficient, and eco-friendlier.  

A geothermal energy reservoir is an area or piece of land detected as the primary heat source, commonly found in areas with active volcanoes and hot springs. These reservoirs comprise stones with hot water and steam. The temperature of a typical geothermal reservoir can range from anything between 212°F to 572°F or even higher. 

Step 2: The Geothermal Power Plant Converts the Heat into Usable Energy

This is where geothermal well operators come into action. After extracting the required amount of heat from a reservoir, they begin to convert it into renewable energy. While there are several types of geothermal power plants across the world, experts consider binary cycle power plants as the best, most efficient option. 

These power plants use the heat extracted from a reservoir to heat a fluid such as propane to 212°F (the boiling point of water). As propane heats up, it secretes vapors to power turbines that ultimately produce electricity via a generator source.

Step 3: The Grid Distributes the Geothermal Energy for Use

Once the turbine powers generators to produce electricity, the grids connected to a geothermal plant distribute the final product to commercial and residential consumers. Similar to traditionally produced electric energy, geothermal electricity also requires high-voltage power lines, substations, and wiring networks for safe and consistent distribution.

Infostat Systems, Inc. is a leading software development firm offering top-of-the-line software solutions to geothermal power plant operators, well performance workers, and drilling contractors. We strive to maximize your company’s potential using the power of Information Technology, Big Data, Business Intelligence, and fast data analysis techniques.

Our IT solutions and data reporting software are available in the cloud and licensed forms allowing us to cater to each client’s unique needs and requirements. Check out more of our blogs to learn more about geothermal data reporting tools or consult with our support and training team to choose the best product for your business.

Interesting Figures Highlighting the Importance of Geothermal Power Plants

To support the discussion, we’ve gathered some highly credible and intriguing statistics that highlight the importance of geothermal energy:

• The Department of Energy decided to invest a staggering amount of $46 million in geothermal power usage, generation, drilling, and reporting research and development practices.
• The USA’s Geothermal Energy Association has also revealed that the geothermal power sector has the potential to generate over 200,000 new jobs per year, with a growing interest in geothermal software for drilling contractor development and deployment.
• Last, but not least, the International Energy Agency (IEA) has projected that renewable energy capacity can cross the 18 GW mark by 2025, indicating 25% growth from 2019-20.

Improve your geothermal power plant and data management team’s capabilities and performance by partnering with Infostat Systems, Inc. Our quality information system tools and IT solutions for well performance operators, drilling information solutions contractors, and geothermal are known for their versatility, data accuracy, controlled access, and data security. Request a demo right away, or you can also contact our team for complete support and training assistance.