3 ms·
This is an example of "how can we keep X relevant in a world where it is not?" Geothermal is falling away because maintaining a steam turbine is expensive. The
by ncmncm 4y ago
This is an example of "how can we keep X relevant in a world where it is not?" Geothermal is falling away because maintaining a steam turbine is expensive.
There are plenty of efficient storage options that don't depend on a steam turbine. Those are favored except where the storage medium is also a transportable, valuable product, as for ammonia.
(Ammonia is burned in combined-cycle turbines already built to burn NG.)
- helloooooooo 4y agoIt depends what you want to use the geothermal heat for. In Norway, in the winter, a lot of the energy use is going to be heating. Geothermal heating systems are quite common in northern and don’t require lossy conversion
- ncmncm 4y agoAnd pure thermal uses are not good storage for high-grade energy forms, e.g. electric, because of conversion losses. In Norway, pumped hydro is a good place to park high-grade energy. That said, for rarely drawn-upon storage, conversion efficiency doesn't matter very much. It is why back when hydrogen electrolysis still lost 40% off the top, it was considered fine for long-term storage. Now that it has exceeded 90%, it is useful in more places.