past:
present:
Geothermal Energy Interview
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On March 21, 2002 we did a phone interview with Mr. Russell Smith who works with Texas Renewable Energy Industries, and he agreed to answer some of our questions about geothermal energy. |
Leo: Have you ever been or worked at a geothermal power plant?
Mr. Smith: No, since there are none in Texas.
Caresa: Have you ever heard of a geothermal power plant exploding?
Mr. Smith: No, I think that they are pretty safe.
Caresa: Is there danger in geothermal power plants that are in neighborhoods?
Mr. Smith: I don’t think there are any in neighborhoods, but I don’t think so.
Caresa: Where in the U.S. are geothermal power plants located?
Mr. Smith: Several of them are in California. Most of them are in the western part of the U.S. I don’t know if there are any in Nevada, or Utah.
Lydia: How long does it take to build a geothermal power plant?
Mr. Smith: I don’t know. It depends on the size and where it is located.
Lydia: How much does it cost to build a geothermal power plant?
Mr. Smith: I don’t know. Since there are no geothermal power plants in Texas I don’t know. You should check the U.S. Department of Energy. (DOE)
Luis: Is geothermal energy in danger of decreasing for the U.S.?
Mr. Smith: The use of geothermal energy is not going to decrease but it is going to increase in some parts of the country, especially the heat hump systems.
Leo: What is the future of geothermal energy in Texas?
Mr. Smith: It’s not likely that there will be geothermal power plants because Texas goes not have a hot temperature under the crust. It might be enough to heat bath water but geothermal plants need a lot more heat than that.
Antonio: What kind of power plant do you think is the best: Flash, Binary, or Dry?
Mr. Smith: In Texas it doesn’t make a difference because there are no geothermal power plants in Texas. What is showing up in Texas are heat pumps where pipes are run a much less deeply in the earth near a building. Then in the summer the cool air from underground is brought up to cool the building and in the winter the warmer air underground is used to heat the same building. Right now this is still too expensive for most people but in time the cost will go down.
Antonio: What are some advantages and disadvantages of geothermal?
Mr. Smith: Geothermal power source is not deployable in Texas. It’s not fossil fuel driven so in that case there is no reason to burn fuel and as a result they are clean plants and they are easy to maintain. But around here it’s not a very easy process to reach geothermal sources.
For more information on heat pumps, go to:
http://www.eren.doe.gov/erec/factsheets/geo_heatpumps.html