Geothermal energy is the heat stored beneath the Earth’s surface, originating from the planet’s molten core and conducted upward through the crust. That heat can be harnessed to produce electricity or direct heat with virtually no CO₂ emissions.
How It Works (Simplified)
1. Resource Exploration Geologists identify promising sites and drill wells into rock formations that hold high‑temperature water or steam.
2. Heat Extraction: Hot water or steam is pumped to the surface.
3. Electricity Generation
- Dry‑steam plants: super‑heated steam drives a turbine generator directly.
- Flash‑steam plants: high‑pressure hot water is depressurized (“flashed”) into steam, which then spins the turbine.
- Binary‑cycle plants: hot water transfers its heat to a secondary working fluid with a lower boiling point (e.g., isobutane); the vaporized fluid drives the turbine.
4. Reinjection or Cascading Use: Cooled water is re‑injected underground to sustain the reservoir, or partially reused for secondary purposes such as district hot‑water supply or industrial heating.
Advantages of Geothermal Power
- 24/7 baseload supply – independent of sun or wind, stabilizing the grid.
- Ultra‑low carbon footprint – emissions are a tiny fraction of fossil plants.
- Minimal land take – requires far less area than solar farms or wind parks of comparable capacity.
- Long asset life – many plants have operated reliably for 40 + years.
Potential in Thailand
Thailand lies near the boundary of the Indo‑Australian tectonic plate; the northern and western regions host numerous hot‑spring fields. The Department of Alternative Energy Development and Efficiency notes that districts such as Fang (Chiang Mai) and Mae Sot (Tak) have water temperatures suited to binary‑cycle systems. Fully developed, these sites could yield several tens of megawatts, cutting gas imports and diversifying the country’s clean‑energy portfolio.
Takeaway
Geothermal power is a clean, round‑the‑clock electricity source with a small surface footprint and very low emissions. Although upfront exploration and drilling costs are high, operating costs remain stable once a plant is built, allowing geothermal to compete with fossil generation over the long term. If Thailand advances research and pilot projects, this subterranean resource could become a vital piece of the nation’s Net‑Zero energy puzzle.
