Eco Factor: Natural heat that lies buried under Earth’s surface being used to generate electricity.
In search for a new source of economical, clean and unlimited energy, a team of engineers in the UK will soon start digging deep into the Earth. Their aim is to exploit the natural heat that lies buried three miles under the surface of Britain, and then use it to run electricity-generating turbines. If the research is successful, it will be the UK’s first commercial geothermal power station that could supply 10 percent of the UK’s power needs. Moreover, it’s been seen as a viable and reliable alternative to the controversial wind farms. The plans for the UK’s first electricity producing geothermal power plant were unveiled by EGS Energy and the Eden Project.
The £15 million power plant will generate 3MW of carbon-neutral electricity, which will be adequate to power approximately 5,000 homes. On the other hand, a normal wind turbine is able to generate up to 2MW of energy, but it needs wind to blow to make that happen. The new geothermal power plant will be set up near the Eden Project’s vast greenhouses, near St Austell. Experts say that there is enough unused energy in the granite below Cornwall only to provide 10 percent of Britain’s electricity.
For the same, they will drill a deep production well to an underground geothermal reservoir. The force of the steam released will be used to turn a turbine. This turbine will power a generator, which will generate electricity. Once it’s done, the steam will be condensed and sent back to the geothermal reservoir.
Tim Smit, Chief Executive of the Eden Project, said…
Powering the Eden Project site from a renewable source of energy is clearly a priority for us and we are very pleased to have the opportunity to bring our unique vision and environmental skills to the project alongside EGS Energy’s experience and skills in engineering geothermal systems.
Via: DailyMail
