For Russia, the energy of the Earth's heat can become a constant, reliable source of providing cheap and affordable electricity and heat using new high, environmentally friendly technologies for its extraction and supply to the consumer. This is especially true at the moment

Limited resources of fossil energy raw materials

The demand for organic energy raw materials is great in industrialized and developing countries (USA, Japan, states of united Europe, China, India, etc.). At the same time, their own hydrocarbon resources in these countries are either insufficient or reserved, and a country, for example, the United States, buys energy raw materials abroad or develops deposits in other countries.

In Russia, one of the richest countries in terms of energy resources, the economic needs for energy are still satisfied by the possibilities of using natural resources. However, the extraction of fossil hydrocarbons from the subsoil occurs at a very fast pace. If in the 1940s-1960s. The main oil-producing regions were the "Second Baku" in the Volga and Cis-Urals, then, starting from the 1970s, and to the present, Western Siberia has been such an area. But even here there is a significant decline in the production of fossil hydrocarbons. The era of "dry" Cenomanian gas is passing away. The previous stage of extensive development of natural gas production has come to an end. Its extraction from such giant deposits as Medvezhye, Urengoyskoye and Yamburgskoye amounted to 84, 65 and 50%, respectively. The proportion of oil reserves favorable for development also decreases over time.

Due to the active consumption of hydrocarbon fuels, onshore reserves of oil and natural gas have been significantly reduced. Now their main reserves are concentrated on the continental shelf. And although the raw material base of the oil and gas industry is still sufficient for the extraction of oil and gas in Russia in the required volumes, in the near future it will be provided to an increasing extent through the development of fields with complex mining and geological conditions. At the same time, the cost of hydrocarbon production will grow.

Most of the non-renewable resources extracted from the subsoil are used as fuel for power plants. First of all, this is the share of which in the fuel structure is 64%.

In Russia, 70% of electricity is generated at thermal power plants. Energy enterprises of the country annually burn about 500 million tons of c.e. tons for the purpose of generating electricity and heat, while the production of heat consumes 3-4 times more hydrocarbon fuel than the generation of electricity.

The amount of heat obtained from the combustion of these volumes of hydrocarbon raw materials is equivalent to the use of hundreds of tons of nuclear fuel - the difference is huge. However, nuclear power requires ensuring environmental safety (to prevent a repeat of Chernobyl) and protecting it from possible terrorist attacks, as well as the safe and costly decommissioning of obsolete and spent nuclear power units. The proven recoverable reserves of uranium in the world are about 3 million 400 thousand tons. For the entire previous period (until 2007), about 2 million tons were mined.

RES as the future of global energy

The increased interest in the world in recent decades in alternative renewable energy sources (RES) is caused not only by the depletion of hydrocarbon fuel reserves, but also by the need to solve environmental problems. Objective factors (fossil fuel and uranium reserves, as well as environmental changes associated with the use of traditional fire and nuclear energy) and energy development trends suggest that the transition to new methods and forms of energy production is inevitable. Already in the first half of the XXI century. there will be a complete or almost complete transition to non-traditional energy sources.

The sooner a breakthrough is made in this direction, the less painful it will be for the whole society and the more beneficial for the country, where decisive steps will be taken in this direction.

The world economy has already set a course for the transition to a rational combination of traditional and new energy sources. Energy consumption in the world by 2000 amounted to more than 18 billion tons of fuel equivalent. tons, and energy consumption by 2025 may increase to 30–38 billion tons of fuel equivalent. tons, according to forecast data, by 2050 consumption at the level of 60 billion tons of fuel equivalent is possible. t. A characteristic trend in the development of the world economy in the period under review is a systematic decrease in the consumption of fossil fuels and a corresponding increase in the use of non-traditional energy resources. The thermal energy of the Earth occupies one of the first places among them.

Currently, the Ministry of Energy of the Russian Federation has adopted a program for the development of non-traditional energy, including 30 large projects for the use of heat pump units (HPU), the principle of operation of which is based on the consumption of low-potential thermal energy of the Earth.

Low-potential energy of the Earth's heat and heat pumps

The sources of low-potential energy of the Earth's heat are solar radiation and thermal radiation of the heated bowels of our planet. At present, the use of such energy is one of the most dynamically developing areas of energy based on renewable energy sources.

The heat of the Earth can be used in various types of buildings and structures for heating, hot water supply, air conditioning (cooling), as well as for heating tracks in the winter season, preventing icing, heating fields in open stadiums, etc. In the English-language technical literature of the system utilizing the Earth's heat in heating and air conditioning systems are referred to as GHP - "geothermal heat pumps" (geothermal heat pumps). The climatic characteristics of the countries of Central and Northern Europe, which, together with the United States and Canada, are the main areas for the use of low-grade heat of the Earth, determine this mainly for heating purposes; cooling of the air, even in summer, is relatively rarely required. Therefore, unlike in the USA, heat pumps in European countries operate mainly in heating mode. In the US, they are more often used in air heating systems combined with ventilation, which allows both heating and cooling of the outside air. In European countries, heat pumps are usually used in water heating systems. Since their efficiency increases as the temperature difference between the evaporator and condenser decreases, floor heating systems are often used for heating buildings, in which a coolant of a relatively low temperature (35–40 ° C) circulates.

Types of systems for the use of low-potential energy of the Earth's heat

In the general case, two types of systems for using the low-potential energy of the Earth's heat can be distinguished:

- open systems: as a source of low-potential thermal energy, groundwater is used, which is supplied directly to heat pumps;

- closed systems: heat exchangers are located in the soil massif; when a coolant with a temperature lower than the ground circulates through them, thermal energy is “taken off” from the ground and transferred to the heat pump evaporator (or when a coolant with a higher temperature relative to the ground is used, it is cooled).

The disadvantages of open systems are that wells require maintenance. In addition, the use of such systems is not possible in all areas. The main requirements for soil and groundwater are as follows:

- sufficient water permeability of the soil, allowing replenishment of water reserves;

– good groundwater chemistry (e.g. low iron content) to avoid pipe scale and corrosion problems.

Closed systems for the use of low-potential energy of the Earth's heat

Closed systems are horizontal and vertical (Figure 1).

Rice. 1. Scheme of a geothermal heat pump installation with: a - horizontal

and b - vertical ground heat exchangers.

Horizontal ground heat exchanger

In the countries of Western and Central Europe, horizontal ground heat exchangers are usually separate pipes laid relatively tightly and connected to each other in series or in parallel (Fig. 2).

Rice. 2. Horizontal ground heat exchangers with: a - sequential and

b - parallel connection.

To save the area of ​​the site where the heat is removed, improved types of heat exchangers have been developed, for example, heat exchangers in the form of a spiral (Fig. 3), located horizontally or vertically. This form of heat exchangers is common in the USA.

2. Thermal regime of the Earth

The earth is a cold cosmic body. The surface temperature depends mainly on the heat supplied from outside. 95% of the heat of the Earth's upper layer is external (solar) heat and only 5% heat internal , which comes from the bowels of the Earth and includes several sources of energy. In the bowels of the Earth, the temperature increases with depth from 1300 o C (in the upper mantle) to 3700 o C (in the center of the core).

external heat. Heat comes to the Earth's surface mainly from the Sun. Each square centimeter of the surface receives about 2 calories of heat within one minute. This value is called solar constant and determines the total amount of heat coming to the Earth from the Sun. For a year, it amounts to 2.26 10 21 calories. The depth of penetration of solar heat into the bowels of the Earth depends mainly on the amount of heat that falls per unit surface area, and on the thermal conductivity of rocks. The maximum depth to which external heat penetrates is 200 m in the oceans and about 40 m on land.

internal warmth. With depth, there is an increase in temperature, which occurs very unevenly in different territories. The increase in temperature follows an adiabatic law and depends on the compression of the substance under pressure when heat exchange with the environment is impossible.

The main sources of heat inside the Earth:

Heat released during the radioactive decay of elements.

Residual heat left over from the formation of the Earth.

Gravitational heat released during the compression of the Earth and the distribution of matter in density.

Heat generated by chemical reactions occurring in the depths of the earth's crust.

Heat released by the tidal friction of the Earth.

There are 3 temperature zones:

I- variable temperature zone . The change in temperature is determined by the climate of the area. Daily fluctuations practically die out at a depth of about 1.5 m, and annual fluctuations at depths of 20 ... 30 m. Ia - freezing zone.

II - constant temperature zone located at depths of 15…40 m, depending on the region.

III - hot zone .

The temperature regime of rocks in the bowels of the earth's crust is usually expressed by a geothermal gradient and a geothermal step.

The amount of temperature rise for every 100 m of depth is called geothermal gradient. In Africa, at the Witwatersrand field, it is 1.5 °С, in Japan (Echigo) - 2.9 °С, in South Australia - 10.9 °С, in Kazakhstan (Samarinda) - 6.3 °С, on the Kola Peninsula - 0.65 °С.

Rice. 3. Temperature zones in the earth's crust: I - zone of variable temperatures, Ia - freezing zone; II - zone of constant temperatures; III - zone of temperature increase.

The depth at which the temperature rises by 1 degree is called geothermal step. The numerical values ​​of the geothermal step are not constant not only at different latitudes, but also at different depths of the same point in the region. The value of the geothermal step varies from 1.5 to 250 m. In Arkhangelsk it is 10 m, in Moscow - 38.4 m, and in Pyatigorsk - 1.5 m. Theoretically, the average value of this step is 33 m.

In a well drilled in Moscow to a depth of 1,630 m, the bottomhole temperature was 41 °C, and in a mine drilled in the Donbass to a depth of 1,545 m, the temperature was 56.3 °C. The highest temperature was recorded in the USA in a well with a depth of 7136 m, where it is equal to 224 °C. The increase in temperature with depth should be taken into account when designing deep structures. According to calculations, at a depth of 400 km the temperature should reach 1400...1700 °C. The highest temperatures (about 5000 °C) were obtained for the Earth's core.

The term “geothermal energy” comes from the Greek words earth (geo) and thermal (thermal). In fact, geothermal energy comes from the earth itself. Heat from the core of the earth, whose average temperature is 3600 degrees Celsius, is radiated towards the surface of the planet.

Heating of springs and geysers underground at depths of several kilometers can be carried out using special wells through which hot water (or steam from it) flows to the surface, where it can be used directly as heat or indirectly to generate electricity by turning on rotating turbines.

Since the water below the earth's surface is constantly replenished, and the core of the earth will continue to generate heat relative to human life indefinitely, geothermal energy will eventually clean and renewable.

Methods for collecting energy resources of the Earth

Today, there are three main methods for harvesting geothermal energy: dry steam, hot water, and binary cycle. The dry steam process directly drives the turbine drives of the power generators. Hot water enters from the bottom up, then sprayed into the tank to create steam to drive the turbines. These two methods are the most common, generating hundreds of megawatts of electricity in the US, Iceland, Europe, Russia and other countries. But location is limited, as these plants only operate in tectonic regions where it is easier to access heated water.

With binary cycle technology, warm (not necessarily hot) water is extracted to the surface and combined with butane or pentane, which has a low boiling point. This liquid is pumped through a heat exchanger, where it evaporates and is sent through a turbine before being recirculated back into the system. Binary cycle technology provides tens of megawatts of electricity in the US: California, Nevada and the Hawaiian Islands.

The principle of obtaining energy

Disadvantages of obtaining geothermal energy

On a utility level, geothermal power plants are costly to build and operate. Finding a suitable location requires costly well surveys with no guarantee of hitting a productive underground hotspot. However, analysts expect this capacity to nearly double over the next six years.

In addition, areas with a high temperature of an underground source are located in areas with active geological and chemical volcanoes. These "hot spots" formed at the boundaries of tectonic plates in places where the crust is quite thin. The Pacific is often referred to as the ring of fire for many volcanoes where there are many hotspots, including those in Alaska, California and Oregon. Nevada has hundreds of hotspots covering most of the northern US.

There are other seismically active areas. Earthquakes and the movement of magma allow water to circulate. In some places the water rises to the surface and natural hot springs and geysers occur, such as in Kamchatka. The water in the geysers of Kamchatka reaches 95°C.

One of the problems with open geyser systems is the release of certain air pollutants. Hydrogen sulfide - a toxic gas with a very recognizable "rotten egg" odor - small amounts of arsenic and minerals released with steam. Salt can also pose an environmental problem.

At offshore geothermal power plants, a significant amount of interfering salt accumulates in the pipes. In closed systems, there are no emissions and all liquid brought to the surface is returned.

Economic potential of the energy resource

Seismically active spots are not the only places where geothermal energy can be found. There is a constant supply of usable heat for direct heating purposes at depths anywhere from 4 meters to several kilometers below the surface virtually anywhere on earth. Even the land in one's own backyard or at a local school has the economic potential of providing heat to a home or other buildings.

In addition, there is a huge amount of thermal energy in dry rock formations very deep below the surface (4 - 10 km).

The use of new technology could expand geothermal systems where people can use that heat to generate electricity on a much larger scale than conventional technology. The first demonstration projects of this principle of generating electricity are shown in the United States and Australia as early as 2013.

If the full economic potential of geothermal resources can be realized, it will represent a huge source of electricity for production capacity. Scientists suggest that conventional geothermal sources have a potential of 38,000 MW, which can produce 380 million MW of electricity per year.

Hot dry rocks occur at depths of 5 to 8 km everywhere underground and at shallower depths in certain places. Access to these resources involves the introduction of cold water circulating through hot rocks and the removal of heated water. There is currently no commercial application of this technology. Existing technologies do not yet allow recovering thermal energy directly from magma, very deep, but this is the most powerful resource of geothermal energy.

With the combination of energy resources and its consistency, geothermal energy can play an indispensable role as a cleaner, more sustainable energy system.

Constructions of geothermal power plants

Geothermal energy is clean and sustainable heat from the Earth. Larger resources range from a few kilometers below the earth's surface, and even deeper, to high-temperature molten rock called magma. But as described above, people have not yet reached the magma.

Three Geothermal Power Plant Designs

The technology of application is determined by the resource. If the water comes from the well as steam, it can be used directly. If the hot water is high enough, it must pass through the heat exchanger.

The first well for power generation was drilled before 1924. Deeper wells were drilled in the 1950s, but real development takes place in the 1970s and 1980s.

Direct use of geothermal heat

Geothermal sources can also be used directly for heating purposes. Hot water is used to heat buildings, grow plants in greenhouses, dry fish and crops, improve oil production, aid industrial processes like milk pasteurizers, and heat water in fish farms. In the US, Klamath Falls, Oregon and Boise, Idaho have used geothermal water to heat homes and buildings for over a century. On the east coast, the city of Warm Springs, Virginia receives heat directly from spring water using heat sources at one of the local resorts.

In Iceland, virtually every building in the country is heated by hot spring water. In fact, Iceland gets more than 50 percent of its primary energy from geothermal sources. In Reykjavik, for example (pop. 118,000), hot water is conveyed 25 kilometers along a conveyor, and residents use it for heating and natural needs.

New Zealand gets 10% of its electricity extra. is underdeveloped, despite the presence of thermal waters.

This energy belongs to alternative sources. Nowadays, more and more often they mention the possibilities of obtaining resources that the planet gives us. We can say that we live in an era of fashion for renewable energy. A lot of technical solutions, plans, theories in this area are being created.

It is deep in the bowels of the earth and has the properties of renewal, in other words it is endless. Classical resources, according to scientists, are beginning to run out, oil, coal, gas will run out.

Nesjavellir Geothermal Power Plant, Iceland

Therefore, one can gradually prepare to adopt new alternative methods of energy production. Under the earth's crust is a powerful core. Its temperature ranges from 3000 to 6000 degrees. The movement of lithospheric plates demonstrates its tremendous power. It manifests itself in the form of volcanic sloshing of magma. In the depths, radioactive decay occurs, sometimes prompting such natural disasters.

Usually magma heats the surface without going beyond it. This is how geysers or warm pools of water are obtained. In this way, physical processes can be used for the right purposes for humanity.

Types of geothermal energy sources

It is usually divided into two types: hydrothermal and petrothermal energy. The first is formed due to warm sources, and the second type is the temperature difference on the surface and in the depths of the earth. To put it in your own words, a hydrothermal spring is made up of steam and hot water, while a petrothermal spring is hidden deep underground.

Map of the development potential of geothermal energy in the world

For petrothermal energy, it is necessary to drill two wells, fill one with water, after which a soaring process will occur, which will come to the surface. There are three classes of geothermal areas:

• Geothermal - located near the continental plates. Temperature gradient over 80C/km. As an example, the Italian commune of Larderello. There is a power plant
• Semi-thermal - temperature 40 - 80 C / km. These are natural aquifers, consisting of crushed rocks. In some places in France, buildings are heated in this way.
• Normal - gradient less than 40 C/km. Representation of such areas is most common

They are an excellent source for consumption. They are in the rock, at a certain depth. Let's take a closer look at the classification:

• Epithermal - temperature from 50 to 90 s
• Mesothermal - 100 - 120 s
• Hypothermal - more than 200 s

These species are composed of different chemical composition. Depending on it, water can be used for various purposes. For example, in the production of electricity, heat supply (thermal routes), raw materials base.

Video: Geothermal energy

Heat supply process

The water temperature is 50 -60 degrees, which is optimal for heating and hot supply of a residential area. The need for heating systems depends on the geographical location and climatic conditions. And people constantly need the needs of hot water supply. For this process, GTS (geothermal thermal stations) are being built.

If for the classical production of thermal energy a boiler house is used that consumes solid or gas fuel, then a geyser source is used in this production. The technical process is very simple, the same communications, thermal routes and equipment. It is enough to drill a well, clean it from gases, then send it to the boiler room with pumps, where the temperature schedule will be maintained, and then it will enter the heating main.

The main difference is that there is no need to use a fuel boiler. This significantly reduces the cost of thermal energy. In winter, subscribers receive heat and hot water supply, and in summer only hot water supply.

Power generation

Hot springs, geysers are the main components in the production of electricity. For this, several schemes are used, special power plants are being built. GTS device:

• DHW tank
• Pump
• Gas separator
• Steam separator
• generating turbine
• Capacitor
• booster pump
• Tank - cooler

As you can see, the main element of the circuit is a steam converter. This makes it possible to obtain purified steam, since it contains acids that destroy turbine equipment. It is possible to use a mixed scheme in the technological cycle, that is, water and steam are involved in the process. The liquid goes through the entire stage of purification from gases, as well as steam.

Circuit with binary source

The working component is a liquid with a low boiling point. Thermal water is also involved in the production of electricity and serves as a secondary raw material.

With its help, low-boiling source steam is formed. GTS with such a cycle of work can be fully automated and do not require the presence of maintenance personnel. More powerful stations use a two-circuit scheme. This type of power plant allows reaching a capacity of 10 MW. Double circuit structure:

• steam generator
• Turbine
• Capacitor
• Ejector
• Feed pump
• Economizer
• Evaporator

Practical use

Huge reserves of sources are many times greater than the annual energy consumption. But only a small fraction is used by mankind. The construction of the stations dates back to 1916. In Italy, the first GeoTPP with a capacity of 7.5 MW was created. The industry is actively developing in such countries as: USA, Iceland, Japan, Philippines, Italy.

Active exploration of potential sites and more convenient methods of extraction are underway. The production capacity is growing from year to year. If we take into account the economic indicator, then the cost of such an industry is equal to coal-fired thermal power plants. Iceland almost completely covers the communal and housing stock with a GT source. 80% of homes use hot water from wells for heating. Experts from the USA claim that, with proper development, GeoTPPs can produce 30 times more than annual consumption. If we talk about the potential, then 39 countries of the world will be able to fully provide themselves with electricity if they use the bowels of the earth to 100 percent.

With the development and formation of society, mankind began to look for more and more modern and at the same time economical ways to obtain energy. For this, various stations are being built today, but at the same time, the energy contained in the bowels of the earth is widely used. What is she like? Let's try to figure it out.

geothermal energy

Already from the name it is clear that it represents the heat of the earth's interior. Under the earth's crust is a layer of magma, which is a fiery-liquid silicate melt. According to research data, the energy potential of this heat is much higher than the energy of the world's natural gas reserves, as well as oil. Magma comes to the surface - lava. Moreover, the greatest activity is observed in those layers of the earth on which the boundaries of tectonic plates are located, as well as where the earth's crust is characterized by thinness. The geothermal energy of the earth is obtained as follows: the lava and the water resources of the planet are in contact, as a result of which the water begins to heat up sharply. This leads to the eruption of the geyser, the formation of the so-called hot lakes and undercurrents. That is, precisely those phenomena of nature, the properties of which are actively used as energies.

Artificial geothermal sources

The energy contained in the bowels of the earth must be used wisely. For example, there is an idea to create underground boilers. To do this, you need to drill two wells of sufficient depth, which will be connected at the bottom. That is, it turns out that geothermal energy can be obtained industrially in almost any corner of the land: cold water will be pumped into the reservoir through one well, and hot water or steam will be extracted through the second. Artificial heat sources will be beneficial and rational if the resulting heat will provide more energy. The steam can be sent to turbine generators that will generate electricity.

Of course, the extracted heat is only a fraction of what is available in the total reserves. But it should be remembered that the deep heat will be constantly replenished due to the processes of compression of rocks, stratification of the bowels. According to experts, the earth's crust accumulates heat, the total amount of which is 5,000 times greater than the calorific value of all the fossil interiors of the earth as a whole. It turns out that the operating time of such artificially created geothermal stations can be unlimited.

Source Features

The sources that make it possible to obtain geothermal energy are almost impossible to fully use. They exist in more than 60 countries of the world, with the largest number of terrestrial volcanoes on the territory of the Pacific volcanic ring of fire. But in practice, it turns out that geothermal sources in different regions of the world are completely different in their properties, namely, average temperature, salinity, gas composition, acidity, and so on.

Geysers are sources of energy on Earth, the peculiarities of which are that they spew boiling water at certain intervals. After the eruption, the pool becomes free of water, at its bottom you can see a channel that goes deep into the ground. Geysers are used as energy sources in regions such as Kamchatka, Iceland, New Zealand and North America, and single geysers are found in several other areas.

Where does energy come from?

Uncooled magma is located very close to the earth's surface. Gases and vapors are released from it, which rise and pass through the cracks. Mixing with groundwater, they cause them to heat up, they themselves turn into hot water, in which many substances are dissolved. Such water is released to the surface of the earth in the form of various geothermal sources: hot springs, mineral springs, geysers, and so on. According to scientists, the hot bowels of the earth are caves or chambers connected by passages, cracks and channels. They are just filled with groundwater, and very close to them are magma chambers. In this natural way, the thermal energy of the earth is formed.

Earth's electric field

There is another alternative energy source in nature, which is renewable, environmentally friendly, and easy to use. True, so far this source has only been studied and not applied in practice. So, the potential energy of the Earth lies in its electric field. It is possible to obtain energy in this way based on the study of the basic laws of electrostatics and the features of the Earth's electric field. In fact, our planet from an electrical point of view is a spherical capacitor charged up to 300,000 volts. Its inner sphere has a negative charge, and the outer one - the ionosphere - is positive. is an insulator. Through it there is a constant flow of ionic and convective currents, which reach strengths of many thousands of amperes. However, the potential difference between the plates does not decrease in this case.

This suggests that in nature there is a generator, the role of which is to constantly replenish the leakage of charges from the capacitor plates. The role of such a generator is played by the Earth's magnetic field, which rotates together with our planet in the flow of the solar wind. The energy of the Earth's magnetic field can be obtained just by connecting an energy consumer to this generator. To do this, you need to install a reliable ground.

Renewable sources

As the population of our planet is steadily growing, we need more and more energy to provide for the population. The energy contained in the bowels of the earth can be very different. For example, there are renewable sources: wind, solar and water energy. They are environmentally friendly, and therefore you can use them without fear of harming the environment.

water energy

This method has been used for many centuries. Today, a huge number of dams and reservoirs have been built, in which water is used to generate electrical energy. The essence of the operation of this mechanism is simple: under the influence of the flow of the river, the wheels of the turbines rotate, respectively, the energy of the water is converted into electrical energy.

Today, there are a large number of hydroelectric power plants that convert the energy of the flow of water into electricity. The peculiarity of this method is that it is renewable, respectively, such designs have a low cost. That is why, despite the fact that the construction of hydroelectric power plants takes quite a long time, and the process itself is very costly, nevertheless, these facilities significantly outperform electric-intensive industries.

Solar energy: modern and promising

Solar energy is obtained using solar panels, but modern technologies allow the use of new methods for this. The largest system in the world is built in the California desert. It fully provides energy for 2,000 homes. The design works as follows: the sun's rays are reflected from the mirrors, which are sent to the central boiler with water. It boils and turns into steam, which turns the turbine. It, in turn, is connected to an electric generator. The wind can also be used as the energy that the Earth gives us. The wind blows the sails, turns the windmills. And now with its help you can create devices that will generate electrical energy. By rotating the blades of the windmill, it drives the turbine shaft, which, in turn, is connected to an electric generator.

Internal energy of the Earth

It appeared as a result of several processes, the main of which are accretion and radioactivity. According to scientists, the formation of the Earth and its mass took place over several million years, and this happened due to the formation of planetesimals. They stuck together, respectively, the mass of the Earth became more and more. After our planet began to have a modern mass, but was still devoid of an atmosphere, meteoric and asteroid bodies fell on it without hindrance. This process is just called accretion, and it led to the fact that significant gravitational energy was released. And the larger bodies hit the planet, the greater the amount of energy contained in the bowels of the Earth was released.

This gravitational differentiation led to the fact that substances began to separate: heavy substances simply sank, while light and volatile substances floated up. Differentiation also affected the additional release of gravitational energy.

Atomic Energy

The use of earth energy can occur in different ways. For example, with the help of the construction of nuclear power plants, when thermal energy is released due to the decay of the smallest particles of atomic matter. The main fuel is uranium, which is contained in the earth's crust. Many believe that this method of obtaining energy is the most promising, but its use is associated with a number of problems. First, uranium emits radiation that kills all living organisms. In addition, if this substance enters the soil or atmosphere, then a real man-made disaster will occur. We are experiencing the sad consequences of the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant to this day. The danger lies in the fact that radioactive waste can threaten all living things for a very, very long time, for millennia.

New time - new ideas

Of course, people do not stop there, and every year more and more attempts are made to find new ways to get energy. If the energy of the earth's heat is obtained quite simply, then some methods are not so simple. For example, as an energy source, it is quite possible to use biological gas, which is obtained during the decay of waste. It can be used for heating houses and heating water.

Increasingly, they are being built when dams and turbines are installed across the mouths of reservoirs, which are driven by ebbs and flows, respectively, electricity is obtained.

Burning garbage, we get energy

Another method that is already being used in Japan is the creation of incinerators. Today they are built in England, Italy, Denmark, Germany, France, the Netherlands and the USA, but only in Japan these enterprises began to be used not only for their intended purpose, but also for generating electricity. At local factories, 2/3 of all garbage is burned, while the factories are equipped with steam turbines. Accordingly, they supply heat and electricity to nearby areas. At the same time, in terms of costs, building such an enterprise is much more profitable than building a thermal power plant.

More tempting is the prospect of using the Earth's heat where volcanoes are concentrated. In this case, it will not be necessary to drill the Earth too deep, since already at a depth of 300-500 meters the temperature will be at least twice as high as the boiling point of water.

There is also such a way to generate electricity, as Hydrogen - the simplest and lightest chemical element - can be considered an ideal fuel, because it is where there is water. If you burn hydrogen, you can get water, which decomposes into oxygen and hydrogen. The hydrogen flame itself is harmless, that is, there will be no harm to the environment. The peculiarity of this element is that it has a high calorific value.

What's in the future?

Of course, the energy of the Earth's magnetic field or that which is obtained at nuclear power plants cannot fully satisfy all the needs of mankind, which are growing every year. However, experts say that there is no reason to worry, since the planet's fuel resources are still enough. Moreover, more and more new sources are being used, environmentally friendly and renewable.

The problem of environmental pollution remains, and it is growing catastrophically fast. The amount of harmful emissions goes off scale, respectively, the air we breathe is harmful, the water has dangerous impurities, and the soil is gradually depleted. That is why it is so important to timely study such a phenomenon as energy in the bowels of the Earth in order to look for ways to reduce the need for fossil fuels and make more active use of non-traditional energy sources.