If one is along the southern or eastern sides of the Salton Sea, one simply cannot miss the plumes of steam that are released from the several geothermal power generation plants that are there. These facilities tap the heat that resides deep in the Earth’s crust to produce electricity. A pair of wells are drilled deep into the earth, sometimes as far as two miles. Water is passed down the “injection well” until it reaches the superhot geothermal reserve deep underground, at which point it is heated. The superhot water rises up through the “production well” to the power plant, becoming steam. The force of the steam turns conventional steam turbine rotors which in turn generate electricity. Note that no fuels are burned in the process! After leaving the rotors, the steam is condensed into liquid water in cooling towers (which produce the tall plumes of steam one see’s rising from the power generation plant) and then returned back into the earth in the injection well to renew the cycle.
Steam is released from a geothermal power generation plant near the Salton Sea in Imperial County. Geothermal power generation uses steam heated deep within the Earth’s crust to power turbines and generate electricity. Imperial County has more than 11 known geothermal fields in the Brawley and Salton Sea areas and holds great potential for the generation of electicity by tapping into this geothermal energy source.
Image ID: 22518
Location: Imperial County, California, USA
Steam is released from a geothermal power generation plant near the Salton Sea in Imperial County. Geothermal power generation uses steam heated deep within the Earth’s crust to power turbines and generate electricity. Imperial County has more than 11 known geothermal fields in the Brawley and Salton Sea areas and holds great potential for the generation of electicity by tapping into this geothermal energy source.
Image ID: 22520
Location: Imperial County, California, USA
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