Geothermal energy, the gift of the earth, is an emerging energy that promotes the harmonious coexist

Geothermal energy is a great gift of the earth to mankind and also a great advantage for our province. The 51st World Earth Day is celebrated on 22 April this year. The theme of Earth Day this year is "Cherish the Earth, harmony between man and nature". As a type of clean energy, geothermal energy is of long-term significance to promote the construction of an ecological civilisation, to ensure livable life and to promote low-carbon development through scientific development and the joint efforts of government agencies at all levels and relevant enterprises.

Pictured: Geothermal well drilling ceremony in JinhuaYuan Commune, Zhouzhi County.

On the occasion of the 51st Earth Day, a geothermal well was drilled in Jinhuayuan Commune, Zhouzhi County, Xi'an on April 16. "Thank you for joining us in fighting the epidemic, protecting people's livelihoods, preventing smog and promoting development, and witnessing Sinopec Luyuan Geothermal Energy Development Co. Zhang Xianyu, deputy general manager of Sinopec Luyuan Geothermal Energy (Shaanxi) Development Co., Ltd. said at the drilling ceremony that day. Once the geothermal well is drilled, it is expected that more than 1,500 households in and around the area will use the well's heat for heating in the next year or two.

As Zhang Xiangyu said, since the outbreak in COVID-19, with active support from all sectors of society, Luyuan has bravely taken on social responsibility, fought the epidemic and supported heating, thanks to which the epidemic has not moved to half-step and millions of people have not been frozen. According to preliminary estimates, geothermal heating in the past heating season could save 270,000 tons of coal, reduce CO2 emissions by over 700,000 tons and SO by over 215,000 tons, which is equivalent to planting almost 3 million trees a year.

Geothermal energy is a great gift from the bowels of the earth.

Geothermal energy is the thermal energy stored in the earth, which continuously transfers and dissipates heat to the surface through volcanic eruptions, hot springs, periodic fountains and the heat conduction of rocks. According to the spatial distribution and state of occurrence, geothermal resources can be divided into three categories: shallow geothermal resources, hydrothermal geothermal resources and dry hot rock geothermal resources.

Geothermal resources are enormous. Scientists estimate that the total thermal energy within the Earth is about 170 million times greater than the world's coal reserves. The annual volume of hydrothermal geothermal resources in China is equivalent to 1.9 billion tonnes of standard coal, which is equivalent to 50% of China's coal consumption in 2015. Annual shallow geothermal resources in 336 cities above the prefectural level are equivalent to 700 million tonnes of standard coal, equivalent to 19% of China's coal consumption in 2015. The amount of dry hot rock resources buried at 4-10 km is equivalent to 8.56 trillion tonnes of standard coal. According to relevant scientific studies, geothermal resources in Shaanxi are widespread throughout the province, and the Guanzhong basin ranks first in the whole country in terms of heat reserves per unit area. The total amount of geothermal heat reserves in the Guanzhong basin with a heating area of 884 million square meters alone.

Geothermal energy is a new energy that can effectively reduce climate pollution.

At present, air pollution has caused a haze that is difficult for everyone to avoid, causing great concern in all sectors of society. According to calculations, the pollutant emissions from the direct burning of 1 tonne of loose coal are more than ten times higher than emissions from the centralised reduction of 1 tonne of industrial coal. Compared to other new sources of energy, geothermal heating replaces the pollutants produced by coal burned in heating boilers and loose direct-burning coal.

In the large family of renewable energy sources, geothermal resources are unaffected by the environment, the heat source is continuous and stable, and utilisation efficiency is high. The energy efficiency in electricity.generation is the highest (73% on average), and it can be used as a foundation load. Geothermal resources have a clear advantage in reducing CO2 emissions. Compared to traditional boiler heating, geothermal heating based on heat pump technology reduces the CO2 emissions by 50 percent. If the energy used by the heat pump comes from clean energy, there are no CO2 emissions.

In short, geothermal energy is clean, low-carbon, widespread, resource-rich, safe and high quality renewable energy.

总之，地热是一种清洁低碳、分布广泛、资源丰富、安全优质的可再生能源。