Clean Energy from Filthy Water
- California cities are pumping their treated waste water underground to create electricity
- Injecting cleansed municipal waste water into underground geothermal fields can create sources of steam for generating electricity and reduce waste water disposal problem.
- Projects in the Santa Rosa, CA area are providing lessons in how best to build shallow and deep drilled geothermal power plants.
- Small earthquakes can be caused in the area immediately surrounding such plants-a serious complication that municipalities must consider.
- Generating 200 megawatts of electricity from waste water has displaced two billion pounds of greenhouse gas emissions annually.
- Every day the Santa Rosa Geysers Recharge Project pumps some 12 million gallons of treated wastewater through a pipeline to a mountain- top 40 miles from the city and then injects it down into an aquifer a mile and a half underground.
- Hot rocks boil the water into steam, which is piped to the surface to drive electricity-generating turbines.
- By generating 200 megawatts of electricity from wastewater, Santa Rosa and Lake County have effectively reduced greenhouse gas emissions by two billion pounds a year—the amount that a coal-burning power plant of comparable size would spew into the atmosphere.
The designed system is a giant maze of water ponds containing algae. Wastewater flows by the aid of paddle wheels. The water is shallow to allow ample light and aeration. Algae grow on nutrients in the sewage, which are considered pollutants. In this way, the algae help to process the waste water. As an added bonus of this method, the algae create biofuel which can be sold, or used as energy to run the plant.Two of the most difficult problems facing humanity are producing renewable energy and disposing of wastewater efficiently with minimal environmental impact. The ponds are much less energy intensive as current methods and water can be recycled. Both electricity and water are saved in this process.The two disadvantages of this method of wastewater treatment are high land area and climate constraints. A large area of land is needed to make shallow ponds for easy light penetration. As a result, crowed urban areas will be difficult to process. Also, only geological locations with adequate sunlight will be economically feasible for this process.
Personally, I believed there shouldn't be too many geothermal plants because of the risk of earthquakes. Although, it helps remove the pollution in the ocean and reuse dirty water but it can lead to the risk of earthquakes. This process saves a lot of money, so it should be given a chance to grow. But we should control the amount of geothermal plants to protect people.
So what?
- The Lake Country and Santa Rosa are able to save aquatic life
Says who?
- Jane Braxton Little
What if?
- we don't finding alternatives to get our energy?
What does this remind me of?
- This reminds me of gray water video
- Injecting cleansed municipal waste water into underground geothermal fields can create sources of steam for generating electricity and reduce waste water disposal problem.
- Projects in the Santa Rosa, CA area are providing lessons in how best to build shallow and deep drilled geothermal power plants.
- Small earthquakes can be caused in the area immediately surrounding such plants-a serious complication that municipalities must consider.
- Generating 200 megawatts of electricity from waste water has displaced two billion pounds of greenhouse gas emissions annually.
- Every day the Santa Rosa Geysers Recharge Project pumps some 12 million gallons of treated wastewater through a pipeline to a mountain- top 40 miles from the city and then injects it down into an aquifer a mile and a half underground.
- Hot rocks boil the water into steam, which is piped to the surface to drive electricity-generating turbines.
- By generating 200 megawatts of electricity from wastewater, Santa Rosa and Lake County have effectively reduced greenhouse gas emissions by two billion pounds a year—the amount that a coal-burning power plant of comparable size would spew into the atmosphere.
The designed system is a giant maze of water ponds containing algae. Wastewater flows by the aid of paddle wheels. The water is shallow to allow ample light and aeration. Algae grow on nutrients in the sewage, which are considered pollutants. In this way, the algae help to process the waste water. As an added bonus of this method, the algae create biofuel which can be sold, or used as energy to run the plant.Two of the most difficult problems facing humanity are producing renewable energy and disposing of wastewater efficiently with minimal environmental impact. The ponds are much less energy intensive as current methods and water can be recycled. Both electricity and water are saved in this process.The two disadvantages of this method of wastewater treatment are high land area and climate constraints. A large area of land is needed to make shallow ponds for easy light penetration. As a result, crowed urban areas will be difficult to process. Also, only geological locations with adequate sunlight will be economically feasible for this process.
Personally, I believed there shouldn't be too many geothermal plants because of the risk of earthquakes. Although, it helps remove the pollution in the ocean and reuse dirty water but it can lead to the risk of earthquakes. This process saves a lot of money, so it should be given a chance to grow. But we should control the amount of geothermal plants to protect people.
So what?
- The Lake Country and Santa Rosa are able to save aquatic life
Says who?
- Jane Braxton Little
What if?
- we don't finding alternatives to get our energy?
What does this remind me of?
- This reminds me of gray water video