A Shift From Black to Geothermal by Jude Lugsanay

A Shift From Black to Geothermal

by Jude Lugsanay | December 18, 2014

                

Little boy asks his grandfather about smoke signals. Image from http://imgkid.com/coal-plant-cartoon.shtml

Coal is one of the most prominent and most celebrated sources of energy in the country today. In fact, a report by the Philippine Department of Energy stated that coal still dominates the power generation in the Philippines at nearly 38.7 percent (Torres, 2014). Torres (2014) even added that the Philippine government is planning to power up another stunning 45 coal-fired power plants in addition to 13 existing ones! Two obvious evidences are the opening of a new ₱ 10.2 billion coal power plant in Toledo City, Cebu (Mozo, 2014) and Salcon Power Corporation’s construction of two new coal-fired plants which, according to them, produces 200 megawatts of power that can support the economic growth of Cebu and other Visayan regions (Mosqueda, 2014). A few years back, World Resources Institute expected a significant increase of coal plants in a global scale. Their analysis in 2012 showed that 1, 199 coal-fired plants are proposed to be built in various parts of the world with China’s proposed plant to have the highest proposed installed capacity of 557, 938 megawatts. Try to imagine how many coal plants have been built since the time of the survey!

This diagram shows how geothermal energy is
utilized in a geothermal power plant. Image from
https://www.mhi-global.com/discover/earth/
technology/geothermal.html

The statistics tells that every year, more and more energy companies are rising and making money through the means of coal, a fossil fuel formed from decayed organic matter that was subjected to geologic heat and pressure over millions of years (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency). Many industries are investing upon it for its combustibility, abundance, renewability, reliability, and, of course, affordability (OCCUPYTHEORY). As these companies continue to build plants and burn coal for energy generation, they also continuously add to the number of carbon dioxide (CO₂) molecules and other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere resulting to the well-known phenomenon called global warming, one of the major causes of climate change (Shah, 2011). Aside from carbon dioxide (CO₂) gas, coal plants also release toxic substances, such as sulfur dioxide (SO₂), nitrogen oxide (NOx), and mercury, into the air which caused a great deal of air pollution and various human health risks (Union of Concerned Scientists). According to the UCS, coal not only pollutes when it is burned but also pollutes when it is mined, transported to the power plant, and stored. In order for coal to be mined, moved, and kept, more than 300, 000 hectares of hardwood forest must be sacrificed, nearly 1 million tons of nitrogen oxide (NOx) must be emitted by railroad locomotives a year, and a lot of human lungs must be irritated (UCS). These numbers clearly show that coal power plants are not effective energy providers and are large harmful threats to human existence and the environment. Since the Philippines is a volcanic archipelago, why don’t Philippine energy companies invest in utilizing geothermal energy, or energy from the Earth’s interior heat, to light up homes and establishments rather than use fossil fuels as energy source? If Philippine energy companies replace their coal-fired power plants with fully functional geothermal power plants, they could provide electricity to many Filipino households and establishments without harming lives and the natural environment of the Philippines.

A study shows that coal power plants have the
greatest amount of carbon dioxide emission per
gigawatt hour. Image from http://cleantechnica.com/
2012/02/20/geothermal-energy-advantages/
geothermal-life-cycle-emissions/

Many people think that geothermal plants are very similar to coal plants when it comes to environmental inefficiency; however, they are very mistaken. Geothermal power plants are far more environmentally friendly than coal plants. The wrong notion that geothermal plants critically pollute must be changed. A study by Meier (as cited in Shahan, 2012) showed that per gigawatt hour, coal power plants emit more tons of carbon dioxide (CO₂) than geothermal plants. Shahan (2012) also stated that unlike coal plants, geothermal power plants don’t require combustion anymore and so the amount of greenhouse gases they emit is very minimal. Though carbon dioxide is a natural byproduct of geothermal activity, less than 4 percent of carbon dioxide normally emitted by coal power plants is only released by geothermal steam (Halliburton). On the other hand, geothermal energy not only sets fossil fuel energy at a disadvantage but also other forms of energy. According to the Geothermal Energy Association (as cited Electric Light & Power/ POWERGRID International, 2013), geothermal energy emerged as one of the least polluting forms of energy. GEA also reported that geothermal energy is environmentally unobtrusive and has the lowest lifecycle emissions of any generating technology (Electric Light & Power/ POWERGRID International, 2013). Finally, Bratley (2014) stated that few chemicals and pollutants are involved in geothermal electricity production, ultimately proving that geothermal power plants are not an environmental nuisance at all but rather a very good nature protector.

This is a picture showing the top view of Iceland
geothermal power plant. Image from https://
www.esmap.org/node/280

Another advantage that sets geothermal energy apart from fossil fuel energy is its renewability. According to Greenearth Energy Ltd., geothermal energy is classified as a renewable form of energy, an energy that is obtained from essentially inexhaustible sources, and is an exact opposite of fossil fuel or coal energy which is nonrenewable and has a limited supply. Geothermal energy’s renewability also helps in reducing pollution and global warming (Kukreja, 2014). For instance, according to the Union of Concerned Scientists, in the United States, no cases of water contamination from geothermal plants were reported. Another interesting feature of its renewability is its ability to minimize the effect of global warming. Data collected by the International Panel on Climate Change (as cited in Union of Concerned Scientists) indicated that life-cycle global emissions associated with renewable energy, such as geothermal energy, which include manufacturing, installation, operation, maintenance, dismantling, and decommissioning are minimal. GEA, on the other hand, logically explained that because geothermal energy is renewable, it allows no combustion and it produces nearly zero air emissions. Due to this, they implied that geothermal energy reduces energy-related carbon dioxide (CO₂), the major cause of global warming. These evidences, when taken to full account, imply that geothermal energy is truly renewable. This characteristic of being renewable doesn’t destroy at all but rather provide benefits to the people.             

Being in the “Pacific Ring of Fire”, the Philippines proves to be a perfect spot for a lot of geothermal locations where foundation for future geothermal power plants can be laid upon. The Philippine archipelago houses a number of volcanic locations and this entails that within these areas, there are geothermal reservoirs of hot fluids which can be abundant with geothermal energy (“Geothermal Energy”). The following locations have already been identified for new installation capacities by the Department of Energy to contain geothermal natural resources through magnetotelluric surveys: Kalinga (60 MW), Ifugao (60 MW), Benguet (20 MW), Cagayan (20 MW), Bataan (40 MW), Albay and Sorsogon (120 MW), Batangas (20 MW), and Mindoro Oriental (40 MW) – for Luzon (380 MW), Negros Oriental (60 MW) and Southern Leyte (20 MW) – for Visayas (80 MW), and finally Zamboanga del Sur (40 MW), North Cotabato (20 MW), Davao del Sur (40 MW), and Davo del Norte (20 MW) – for Mindanao (120 MW) (“Geothermal Energy”). Moreover, this list doesn’t include the following privatized geothermal power plants and their installed capacities: Bacman Geothermal Production Field (150 MW) in Manito, Albay and Bacon, Sorsogon, Palinpinon Geothermal Power Plant (192 MW) in Puhagan, Valencia, Negros Occidental, and Tongonan Geothermal Power Plant (112.5 MW) in Lim-ao, Kananga, Leyte (“Geothermal Energy”). With this long list of statistics, it can be clearly implied that a minute number of geothermal areas has just been explored and there are still more sites in the Philippines that are waiting to be explored and utilized for electricity-generation purposes.

Running a single power plant is a tough job for energy generating companies. If a company is running a dozen power plants, it’s pretty sure that that company is doing very hard work. Considering that if companies replace their power plants, they would possibly become bankrupt or, rather, they would spend a lot of money, it is often understandable why energy companies would not want to change their current power plants. However, some activists claim that geothermal energy and geothermal power plants are not renewable and can pollute. Some argue that air emissions from geothermal power plants which contain carbon dioxide (CO₂) and hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) are not friendly at all and, in fact, can kill; for instance, according to Stewart (2012), a number of deaths in Rotorua have been attributed to hydrogen sulfide poisoning, often in motel rooms or hot-pool enclosures. While some question the ability of geothermal power plants to not pollute, others claim that geothermal energy is not a renewable energy source at all and can be limited or finite. They claim that geothermal energy can only be found in certain places on Earth which for them proves that it is very limited (“Non Renewable”). They also added that geothermal energy is limited because it can be used up when the rocks underground cool down or if the heated groundwater becomes exhausted. Amidst all these claims, it is good to know that experts are trying to rule out the possibilities if companies will try to mainly produce electricity from geothermal energy rather than their original energy sources.

However, it must be known that currently companies which use geothermal plants to generate electricity are trying to mitigate or control the release of hydrogen sulfide and, in effect, make use of it. In a study by Kagel, Bates, and Gawell (2007), it was found out that hydrogen sulfide is abated at geothermal power plants which resulted to the conversion of over 99.9 percent of the hydrogen sulfide from geothermal non-condensable gases into elemental sulfur,  a non-hazardous soil amendment and fertilizer feedstock. They added that because of these actions, hydrogen sulfide emissions declined from 1, 900 lbs/year to 200 lbs/year or less since 1976. Another point that experts usually question is the renewability of geothermal energy. To oppose this claim, many experts have also testified geothermal energy as a renewable source; for instance, Dickson and Fanelli’s  (as cited in Think GeoEnergy) study argued that geothermal energy is a renewable source because it uses the interior heat of the Earth which is considered abundant. They added that water, once used and cooled, is then piped back to the reservoir. Barnes (2013) also stated that geothermal energy is considered a renewable energy source because generation of electricity is utilized by using natural resources without burning coal or fossil fuels.

It is clear that using geothermal energy and geothermal power plants is very applicable and possible in the Philippines. Using geothermal energy as energy source doesn’t create much carbon footprint unlike coal plants and the likes, implying that this doesn’t contribute to global warming. Also, because geothermal energy is renewable, it is sustainable and it can last for many years unlike the nonrenewable coal and other fossil fuels. The Philippines won’t also face the problem of where to find geothermal energy anymore for it is already a volcanic archipelago. This means that there are many volcanic spots in the country where geothermal energy can be abundant and can be utilized. Only by relying on these facts that energy companies may start to rethink of their energy business and if they try to mainly use geothermal energy, there is a possibility that they can cleanly generate electricity without harming lives and threatening the natural environment.

References:

Barnes, B. (2013, August 30). WILL GEOTHERMAL ENERGY BE THE NEXT BIG RENEWABLE RESOURCE?. Retrieved from http://www.theclimategroup.org/blogs/the-clean-revolution/will-geothermal-energy-be-the-next-big-renewable-resource/

Bratley, J. (2014, December 3). Advantages of Geothermal Energy. Retrieved from http://www.clean-energy-ideas.com/geothermal/geothermal-energy/advantages-of-geothermal-energy

Electric Light & Power/POWERGRID International. (2013, April 26). Geothermal energy provides health, environmental benefits. Retrieved from http://www.elp.com/articles/2013/04/geothermal-energy-provides-health--environmental-benefits.html

Geothermal Energy [PDF Document]. Retrieved from https://www.awex.be/fr-BE/Infos%20march%C3%A9s%20et%20secteurs/Infossecteurs/Documents/ASIEPAC/Renewable%20Energy%20-%20Geothermal.pdf

Greenearth Energy Ltd. (n.d.). Geothermal Energy. Retrieved from http://www.greenearthenergy.com.au/geothermal/

Halliburton. (n.d.). Geothermal Energy Environmental Benfits. Retrieved from http://www.halliburton.com/en-US/ps/solutions/clean-energy/geothermal-energy/geothermal-energy-environmental-benefits.page?node-id=hgeyxti6

Kagel, A., Bates, D., and Gawell, K. (2007). A Guide to Geothermal Energy and the Environment. Geothermal Energy Association.

Kukreja, R. (n.d.). Advantages Of Geothermal Energy. Retrieved from http://www.conserve-energy-future.com/Advantages_GeothermalEnergy.php

Mosqueda, M.W. (2014, September 25). Two new power plants to rise in Cebu. Manila Bulletin. Retrieved from http://www.mb.com.ph/two-new-power-plants-to-rise-in-cebu/

Mozo, M.M. (2014, September 21). New P10.2-B Cebu coal power plant switched on. Manila Bulletin. Retrived from http://www.mb.com.ph/new-p10-2-b-cebu-coal-power-plant-switched-on/

OCCUPYTHEORY. (2014, March 25). Advantages and Disadvantages of Coal. Retrieved from http://occupytheory.org/advantages-and-disadvantages-of-coal/

Shah, A. (2011, April 11). Coal Advantages and Disadvantages – Pros of Coal Winning Despite Dangerous Cons. Retrieved from http://www.greenworldinvestor.com/2011/04/11/coal-advantages-and-disadvantages-pros-of-coal-winning-despite-dangerous-cons/

Shahan, Z. (2012, February 12). 10 Reasons to Support Geothermal Energy. Retrieved from http://cleantechnica.com/2012/02/20/geothermal-energy-advantages/

Stewart, C. (2012, July 13). Geothermal energy – Effects on the environment. Retrieved from http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/geothermal-energy/page-5

The Laser Group. (n.d.). Non Renewable Resources – Geothermal energy. Retrieved from http://www.angelfire.com/planet/lasers-physics/page7.html

THINK GEOENERGY. (n.d.). Geothermal Energy Overview. Retrieved from http://thinkgeoenergy.com/geothermal

Torres, J. (2014, July 25). Greenpeace links coal-fired power plants to Philippines’ extreme weather. ucanews.com. Retrieved from http://www.ucanews.com/news/greenpeace-links-coal-fired-power-plants-to-philippines-extreme-weather/71516

Union of Concerned Scientists. (n.d.). Benefits of Renewable Energy Use. Retrieved from http://www.ucsusa.org/clean_energy/our-energy-choices/renewable-energy/public-benefits-of-renewable.html#.VJKqe_noikF

Union of Concerned Scientists. (n.d.). coal power: air pollution. Retrieved from http://www.ucsusa.org/clean_energy/coalvswind/c02c.html#.VJKf4vnoikF

Union of Concerned Scientists. (n.d.). Environmental impacts of coal power: fuel supply. Retrieved from http://www.ucsusa.org/clean_energy/coalvswind/c02a.html#.VJKli_noikE