Energy directly from the Earth
The Earth has its own internal energy, that is responsible for the dynamics of our planet, and volcanic activity is its most evident example, however, this energy also spreads silently and continuously towards the surface in the form of heat: this occurs in every spot of the Earth, even in those areas which do not seem to have any volcanic or geologic activity. Deeper and deeper into the subsoil, the rock temperatures increase with a gradient of 1°C every 33 m in depth on average, even though there are areas which are particularly active, where the temperature increase is more consistent (as for example in volcanic areas): in these particular areas, the so called geothermal fields, the energy found deep in the Earth is exploited to produce electric power. However, this requires very high temperatures, so it is possible only in some fields, called high enthalpy fields (or high temperature fields). The Earth’s internal heat can be exploited also when the temperatures are not very high, not for the production of electricity but to obtain heat for domestic heating or for other industrial uses (refer to the special report on geothermal energy). If special devices such as heat pumps are connected to the process to “capture” endogenous heat, an “indirect” use of thermal energy of the Earth becomes possible , and much lower temperatures of “direct” geothermal energy can be exploited: and therefore there is the possibility of a greater diffusion of this use of geothermal energy also in areas without the particular geological conditions of the geothermal fields.
Special reports
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13 May 2018
Small steps, great footprints
Have you ever wondered how much space is taken up by an apple or a steak?...
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12 June 2022
Wind power in Italy: where do we stand?
Humans have been using wind power since ancient times. Indeed, wind power has been used for thousands of years in…
30 April 2022
Solar energy in Italy: where do we stand?
The Sun is the main source of energy on our planet, from which we derive almost all the forms of…
5 September 2021
Faraday, an electrifying biography
"The important thing is to know how to take all things quietly". Michael Faraday...
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14 July 2021
Italy’s renewable sources
Renewable energy sources in Italy The Energy Services Operator (GSE) periodically publishes data and statistics on the renewable energy sources…
18 February 2021
Is lithium the new petroleum?
Today petroleum vies for the title of “contemporary gold” with several competitors, one of those is certainly lithium...
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13 May 2018
Small steps, great footprints
Have you ever wondered how much space is taken up by an apple or a steak?...
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12 June 2022
Wind power in Italy: where do we stand?
Humans have been using wind power since ancient times. Indeed, wind power has been used for thousands of years in…
-
30 April 2022
Solar energy in Italy: where do we stand?
The Sun is the main source of energy on our planet, from which we derive almost all the forms of…
5 September 2021
Faraday, an electrifying biography
"The important thing is to know how to take all things quietly". Michael Faraday...
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13 May 2018
Small steps, great footprints
Have you ever wondered how much space is taken up by an apple or a steak?...
From the Multimedia section
Facts
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An artificial geyser
Electric and thermal power produced from geothermal energy depend on the existence of underground infiltrations...
A hydrogen house
In Settimo, a municipality close to Turin, the first Unité d’Abitation has been created...
Porto Marghera Hydrogen Park
In Porto Marghera (Venice), the Hydrogen Park was created. It is the biggest centre in the world for hydrogen production...
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Hydrogen from the sugar cane
The Centro di Ricerca Interuniversitario per lo Sviluppo Sostenibile (CIRPS) carried out a study in Peru...
Some curiosities about methane hydrates
The melting of the ice cells, not only brings about the release of methane gas, but it also produces another…
The “wave-swallowing” dragon
Wave Dragon, that swallows waves and generates electricity is a plant...
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Bio-climatic architecture
Solar energy is playing a vital role with reference to bioclimatic architecture...
The photovoltaic train
In Italy the PVTRAIN project by Trenitalia (co-financed by the European Union) plans...
The plant of Almeria
In the Tabernas desert, 30 km north-east of the Andalusia town of Almeria (Spain)...
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16 May 2011
An artificial geyser
Electric and thermal power produced from geothermal energy depend on the existence of underground infiltrations...
A hydrogen house
In Settimo, a municipality close to Turin, the first Unité d’Abitation has been created...
-
Porto Marghera Hydrogen Park
In Porto Marghera (Venice), the Hydrogen Park was created. It is the biggest centre in the world for hydrogen production...
Hydrogen from the sugar cane
The Centro di Ricerca Interuniversitario per lo Sviluppo Sostenibile (CIRPS) carried out a study in Peru...
-
14 June 2011
Some curiosities about methane hydrates
The melting of the ice cells, not only brings about the release of methane gas, but it also produces another…
16 May 2011
The “wave-swallowing” dragon
Wave Dragon, that swallows waves and generates electricity is a plant...
-
An artificial geyser
Electric and thermal power produced from geothermal energy depend on the existence of underground infiltrations...
-
A hydrogen house
In Settimo, a municipality close to Turin, the first Unité d’Abitation has been created...
-
Porto Marghera Hydrogen Park
In Porto Marghera (Venice), the Hydrogen Park was created. It is the biggest centre in the world for hydrogen production...