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Geothermal energy on Leyte
The Philippines has several possibilities to get clean and cheap energy. The
tropical climate and the geological circumstances are responsible for three
different energy resources:
solar
energy, cheap and inexhaustible
natural
gas (enormous mass found on
Palawan)
relative
cheap "geothermal" energy
Leyte is one of the
Philippine islands where geothermal energy is produced. |
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Power plant in Tongonan,
region Ormoc City, Leyte (Picture: PNOC) |
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The
production of geothermal energy
In the
Philippines geothermal energy already provides 27% of the country's total
electricity production generated in power plants. Geothermal power plants are on
the islands Luzon, Negros, Mindanao and Leyte. |
Cheap
energy
The production of the
electricity by geothermal plants is cheaper than the electricity
produced in plants by using natural gas and coal. It
is even cheaper than electricity produced by hydro power stations. |
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What
is 'geothermal energy' ?
The natural heat
within the earth is the motor of the 'geothermal energy'.
In
fact, the earth serves as a hot water-boiler.
The heat
of the earth warms up water (fluids) which is trapped in rock formations
thousands of feet (3000 meter) beneath the earth's surface.
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How to make use of the
hot water?
The
way to make use of this hot water is drilling wells. On the surface
there must me (made by companies) certain facilities to use the natural pressure
in
order to convert the hot water in hot steam.
The steam can be brought
by pipelines to power plants. In these plants the steam is used to power
turbines, which can generate electricity.
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Hot
steams possibilities in weak belts of the earth
The
possibility of getting the hot steam
is only in weaker parts of the crust of the earth. The Pacific Rim is such a
weak belt. The Philippines is located in the Western part of the
Pacific Rim. In this weak belt deep fractures occur in the earth's crust
and the tens of volcanic centers are the consequences of these
fractures.
The
hot molten material (magma) inside the inner earth is in this belt close
enough to the earth surface to heat the water reservoirs, from which the hot
steam can be generated!
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Philippine's
geothermic production worldwide
Worldwide, the Philippines rank second to the United
States in producing geothermic energy.
Leyte
is one of the island in the Philippines where geothermic power plants were
developed. The developments here started in 1977 by the company PNOC.
Many
of the geothermic natural resources are still waiting to ' be harnessed for
steam'.
(source: Sustainable
Energy News No.11, November 1995)
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ask
Arthur
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geothermal
reservoir |
for
your 'geothermic' questions!!! |
geothermic operations
on Leyte |
geothermic
energy worldwide |
technology &
development process |
a geothermic
slide show |
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