Geothermal Is a Key Source of CentAm Clean Energy Edgardo Ayala - Inter Press Service | |
go to original August 28, 2017 |
Renewable Energy 101: Geothermal Power (Green Mountain Energy)
Energy from the depths of the earth – geothermal – is destined to fuel renewable power generation in Central America, a region with great potential in this field.
“Volcanoes have always been a menace to humanity but now in El Salvador they are a resource to generate clean, renewable and cheap energy. Now they represent the future of our nations,” said David López, president of the government’s Lempa River Executive Hydropower Commission, in a regional workshop on geothermal energy.
The Aug. 21-22 workshop in El Salvador and a regional conference on clean energies held the following three days allowed representatives of the governments of the region, experts and academics to exchange experiences and discuss key issues to promote geothermal energy as one of the cleanest and cheapest renewable energy sources.
Central America, with a total population of 40 million people and annual economic growth of three per cent, has shown a 65 per cent increase in energy demand in the last 12 years.
And by 2020, this region will require an injection of seven additional gigawatts of energy to the current supply, according to a report published in July by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA).
Furthermore, seven million people still have no or little access to electricity, according to IRENA, which is devoted to promoting development of sustainable energy around the world.
The motor that moves Central America has been driven mainly by hydropower plants, but the new scenario in an increasingly changing world has enabled the entry of new players.
Geothermal energy has gradually been gaining strength It is the energy produced by the internal heat of the earth, which is concentrated in areas where there are volcanoes or geysers, known as geothermal reservoirs, which can produce clean energy indefinitely.
The heat or thermal energy is transferred to the surface, and the force generated by the steam is used to power a turbine that moves an electric generator, in a plant within or near a producing field.
Read the rest at Inter Press Service | Español
Related: Energy Habits Are Changing in Latin America’s Cities (Inter Press Service)
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