Geothermal energy can be used in areas where the temperature outside is below freezing. You can extract energy easily as the temperature inside the ground nearly remains constant all the year long. So even where there is freezing temperature outside, you still can use this energy for which underground pumps are dug and they are used to take out energy to heat your homes. The hotter it is outside, the more energy you get but they can also be applicable in low temperature zones.
Difficulties in Low Temperature Zones
The law of geothermal energy can also be employed in low temperature zones where the ground freezes on and off or in some parts of the year. But the problem is that when ground freezes then the underground pumps do not go deeper than three to four feet. As we know that the pipes are dug more to reach the energy source, so in winters due to less digging we cannot extract much of the heat as compared to summers.
A solution for cold climate
For colder areas where the ground freezes for the most part of the year, vertical installation is preferred. The reason is that, the more they dig underground, the away they will be from the frozen layer of ground. So with a vertical installation you can still enjoy geothermal energy in cold climate.
Geothermal Energy in Iceland
As far as cold region like Iceland is considered, it shows that the energy can be obtained from earth even in the temperature when ground freezes. In Iceland currently the geothermal energy is used to heat up 79% of the houses and buildings. Almost 54% of the primary energy comes from geothermal energy. Iceland had been using hot springs for washing and bathing for many centuries. But the geothermal energy for heating the homes started in 1907 when a farmer invented it. Geothermal energy is used in many departments in Iceland, like space heating, electricity production, greenhouses, swimming pools and fish farming.
The government of Iceland has played a vital role in the establishment of this renewable resource. In the early twentieth century, an organization was started to increase the utilization and research on this source of energy. This organization was an utter success and now a large amount of geothermal energy is used to heat many homes and to produce electricity.
There are five main plants of geothermal energy in Iceland. The government still believes that there are many undiscovered volcanoes of geothermal energy which would when combined with the already produced energy reaches 50 TWh per year.
Can Geothermal Energy be used in Antarctica?
As we know that no human life is possible in Antarctica due to its extremely cold temperature and freezing environment. It’s the coldest place in the world with the lowest temperature recorded as -89.2 degrees. So can geothermal energy be still applicable in such a cold place? The answer is yes! It can be. All we need is a good system of digging pipes and establishing vertical piping system.
If we ever had colonized Antarctica; then this would serve as a good source for power and heating the homes also. But it has drawbacks like cost as this system would be very expensive and a lot of money would be spent for its installation and second disadvantage is its ability to scale. But the advantages cannot be overlooked. So, research should be done on it and it should be considered as a future option.
So the above justification proves the universality and benefits of a geothermal system. This shows that the research should be done on this process; because of its cost-effective and eco-friendly nature.
