Geothermal: history, classification, and utilization for power generation

摘要: Industrialization and world population are the two major factors that drive the global energy demand. The increase in the world population and the enhancement in the social and economic development have also resulted in an increased stress on fossil fuels which are exhaustible. The geothermal gradient occurs as a result of an increase in the temperature with depth in the earth crust. There are vast magnitudes of geothermal resources with global distribution most of which are yet untapped, and with the improvement in technological advancement, geothermal energy will contribute a reasonable quota of the world energy demand for centuries to come. Geothermal systems are classified into four different types: hydrothermal, hot dry, geopressured, and magmatic. The use of geothermal energy is generally divided into two categories: Direct use and Electricity use. Geothermal energy like other renewable energy …