• SPECIAL TOPIC: HYDROGEN / RENEWABLE ENERGY •
The Critical Role of Valves in Geothermal Energy
With reliable, high-quality valves, geothermal power plants can produce renewable energy efficiently and safely at a low cost and low environmental impact.
The world around us is looking for cleaner energy on an industrial scale to responsibly meet growing consumption demands. The need for renewable energy sources is rising at a rapid pace.
Geothermal energy is continuously produced inside the earth. In addition to thermal energy, in some areas the geothermal fluid may contain lithium, which is vital for batteries used to power the energy transition. We just need to harness that energy, and the lithium, in a sustainable way. Reliable, high-performance valves play a significant role in producing renewable energy from geothermal sources.
• By Andreas Pischke- Global Industry Manager- Valmet Flow Control Business Line
Industrial Processes for Cleaner Energy
Geothermal power plants harness the Earth ' s internal heat by extracting geothermal fluids, typically in the form of hot brine or steam, which are then used to drive turbines connected to generators, producing electricity.
If the lithium content in the brine is big enough, one of the Direct Lithium Extraction( DLE) methods can be applied to capture this additional benefit from geothermal recourses.
Hydrothermal geothermal power plants where the fluid is extracted directly from the underground are most common. These power plants can work as one of three types; flash steam, dry steam or binary cycle. Binary cycle power plants operate using a secondary working fluid with a low boiling point – commonly a hydrocarbon such as Pentane. This fluid is heated by the geothermal brine, causing it to vaporize and drive an Organic Rankine Cycle( ORC) turbine to generate electricity.
There are also so-called Enhanced Geothermal Systems( EGS) and Advanced Geothermal Systems( AGS) applied. Also, the Superhot Rock System( SHR) and the Supercritical Geothermal Technology( SCGT) are still notably in the R & D stage and yet to be commercially applied.
Serving a Global Demand for Geothermal
Currently, Indonesia has the highest annual geothermal production while the U. S. still has the highest amount of installed capacity, even if geothermal only accounts for a fraction of the energy used nationally. Countries such as Kenya, Iceland, New Zealand, and El Salvador are already heavily dependent on geothermal for a large part of their energy.
As the global demand for lithium, an essential component in batteries, continues to grow, countries such as the US, Germany and Chile are exploring synergies with geothermal where the
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