Renewable energy: Power from down under (Third of a Series)

Text and Photos by Henrylito D. Tacio
If the Philippines can tap its huge reservoir, they say the country would become the world’s top producer of geothermal power.  The United States is currently the record holder with an installed capacity of 3,093 megawatts (MW) as of 2010, according to the International Geothermal Association (IGA).
Former House Speaker Jose de Venecia, Jr., who once pursued the approval of House Bill 12641 (which promotes the exploration, development and production of geothermal resources in the country) said that geothermal energy “is going to be the cheapest and, more important, the most non-polluting power source in the Philippines in the years to come.”
In an article published in the journal “Geothermal Energy” in 1980, author Rudolph J. Birsic noted of “the remarkable geothermal resources of the Philippines.”  During the World Geothermal Congress held in Japan in 2000, the Philippines was reported to be the largest consumer of electricity from geothermal sources.
Currently, the Philippines has six geothermal plants scattered throughout the country. These are the Makiling-Banahaw (Mak-Ban) areas, just south of Manila; Tiwi in Albay; Bacon-Manito (Bac-Man) in Sorsogon; Tongonan in Leyte; Palinpin in Southern Negros; and the Mount Apo in Mindanao.
“The Philippines generates 23% of its electricity from geothermal energy,” reports “Southern Innovator,” a magazine published by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP).
In Mindanao, 8 percent of its power source comes from geothermal.
“Geothermal energy is well-developed (in the Philippines),” notes Nicola Jaeger and Michael Reckordt in an article “Power for the People,” which appeared in “Handbook Philippines.” “It has been promoted through tax exemptions and other incentives since the passage of the Geothermal Energy Law of 1978.”
Geothermal energy is considered a renewable energy source since its supply is considered inexhaustible.  The word “geothermal” comes from the Greek roots geo, meaning “earth,” and thermos, meaning “heat.”
Science tells us that the inner core of the earth consists of a molten mass that acts as the source of geothermal energy.  In some areas of the Philippines and throughout the world, the intense heat within the earth occurs near the earth’s surface and heats underground water, forming hot water or steam.
If these reservoirs are close enough to the surface, wells can be drilled to tap the steam and hot water.  The steam and hot water is used to produce electricity with generators.  (Geysers occur where these reservoirs of steam and hot water naturally break through the surface.)
The use of geothermal energy is not a recent discovery.  Both Norse Vikings, who settled in Iceland more than 1,000 years ago, and American Indians used geothermal geysers for cooking and baking.  The Maoris, who settled in New Zealand about 600 years ago, grew their sweet potatoes in geothermally heated gardens.
History records show that the first industrial harnessing of steam from the earth commenced in northern Italy more than half a century ago when Prince Piero Ginori Conti decided to hook a generator to a steam engine driven by natural steam.
The success of this operation (after so many innovations) led to the installation of the world’s first geothermal power plant, with a capacity of 250 kilowatts, in 1913.  Today, the site is a favorite tourist attraction.
It was the world’s only industrial producer of geothermal electricity until 1958, when New Zealand built a plant of its own.
As years went by, more innovations came.  The first commercial geothermal heat pump was designed by J.D. Krocker to heat the Commonwealth Building in Portland, Oregon in 1946.  Two years later, Professor Carl Nielsen of Ohio State University built the first residential heat pump two years later.  The technology became popular in Sweden as a result of the 1973 oil crisis, and has been growing slowly in worldwide acceptance since then.
Today, geothermal energy supplies power to 24 countries, producing enough electricity to meet the needs of 60 million people, according to Geothermal Energy Association. Aside from those mentioned earlier, other countries which installed geothermal electric power plants include Mexico, Japan, Indonesia, El Salvador, Kenya, Nicaragua, Turkey, China, Russia, France, Portugal, Iceland, and Greece.
Geothermal expert Dr. Arturo Alcaraz was credited with introducing geothermal energy in the Philippines.   
In the 1960s, Dr. Alcaraz — who was then with the Philippine Volcanology Office — built the first small geothermal plant in Tiwi, near Mount Mayon. 
“The first electric bulb in the Philippines lit by earth-heat energy was in Tiwi, Albay, on April 12, 1967,” chronicled the Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation, which honored Dr. Alcaraz in 1982 for “his scientific perspicacity and selfless perseverance in guiding Filipinos to understand and use one of their greatest natural resources.”
Commercial use of geothermal energy for electric power generation started with the commissioning of a three-megawatt pilot power plant in Leyte in 1977.  Large-scale plants were later commissioned between 1979 and 1984.
There are some estimates that if the expansion of this sector will be pursued, the Philippines could have a windfall of 3,000 MW.  The natural steam all over the country, according to Dr. Alcaraz, could give cheap power for at least 200 years.
“Energy is critical to advances in human development,” the UNDP publication notes. “Electricity enables the introduction of lighting in homes and the use of washing machines and other modern appliances and communication tools.
“And, crucially, (geothermal energy) does not harm the natural resources like conventional energy sources such as coal, gas or nuclear power with its legacy of radioactive waste,” it adds.
Geothermal power is indeed environment-friendly.  It requires no fuel, and is therefore immune to fluctuations in fuel cost.  In fact, the production of the electricity by geothermal plants is cheaper than the electricity produced in plants by using natural gas and coal. It is even cheaper than electricity produced by hydro power stations.
Studies have shown that geothermal has minimal land use requirements; existing geothermal plants use 1-10 hectares per megawatt versus 5-12 hectares per megawatt for nuclear operations and 25 hectares per megawatt for coal power plants.
“Social and environmental costs should not be ignored” when building geothermal power plants, pointed out Jaeger and Reckordt.  “Usually sites for geothermal energy generation are in mountainous regions, which are either protected areas or home to indigenous communities.”
Of course, geothermal power still creates some environmental problems.  Studies have shown that geothermal fluids drawn from the deep earth may carry a mixture of gases with them, notably carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulfide.
It is said that when released to the environment, these pollutants contribute to climate change, acid rain, and noxious smells in the vicinity of the plant.  According to studies, existing geothermal electric plants emit an average of 90-120 kilograms of carbon dioxide per megawatt hour of electricity.  But this is just a small fraction of the emission intensity of conventional fossil fuel plants.  In some parts of the world, some geothermal power plants are equipped with emissions-controlling systems that reduces the exhaust of acids and volatiles.
In addition to dissolved gases, hot water from geothermal sources may contain trace amounts of dangerous elements such as mercury, arsenic, and antimony which, if disposed of into rivers, can render their water unsafe to drink. Geothermal plants can theoretically inject these substances, along with the gases, back into the earth, in a form of carbon sequestration. (Next: Blowing in the wind)