New projects

Totally Submerged Run-of-River Hydro Scheme on the River Neckar at Karlstor/Heidelberg

The innovative project has demonstrated that, even in the heart on historic Heidelberg, clean energy technologies can be used with no negative impact on the visual and acoustic amenity. A new totally sub-l merged, run-of-river hydro scheme has been installed that will gener-J ate electricity to be fed to the local distribution network. Special de-J

1 - пещера; 2 — очевидный

It is interesting to know

• Read and retell the text.

Pitlochry Visitor Centre

Scottish Hydroelectric has unveiled its new-look Visitor Centre at Pitlochry Power Station. The Visitor Centre, which attracts over 120,000 people each year is famous for its Salmon' Ladder and Observation² Chamber.

Particular attractions include: 3 touch-screen kiosk computer in-teractives, in three languages — English, French and German.

"Scottish Hydroelectric the Company" — giving the visitor a better ^understanding of the business, its history and commitment to the community.

Build a Hydroelectric Scheme" — a challenge with a detailed edu­cational emphasis³. "The Salmon Story" - the life cycle of the salmon, ^eaturing video clips and animations. An exhibition including a the-

40 Section I. Power

matic theatre and interpretation boards, detailing the company's pro­cesses in turning water into electricity.

1 - лосось; 2 - комната для наблюдений; 3 - ударение

JUST FOR FUN

• Read the following jokes and smile.

Scientists smile Shade Iree Mechanic's Glossary

ELECTRIC HAND DRILL: Normally used for spinning steel pop rivets' in their holes; also works great for drilling mounting holes² in the floor-board just above the brake line that goes to the rear axle.

1 — винты; 2 — монтажные отверстия

TROUBLE LIGHT: Its main purpose is to consume 40-watt light bulbs at about the same rate that 105-mm howitzer' shells might be used during, say, the first few hours of the Battle of the Bulge; more often dark than light, its name is somewhat misleading².

1 — гаубица; 2 — обманчивый

AIR COM PRESSOR: A machine that takes energy produced in a coal-burning power plant in Tennessee and transforms it into compressed air that travels by hose' to a pneumatic impact wrench²made in Chi­cago that grips rusty suspension bolts last tightened 20 years ago by someone in Detroit, and rounds them off.

1 - шланг; 2 — гаечный ключ

PHONE: Tool for calling your neighbour to see if he has another hy­draulic floor jack.

BATTERY ELECTROLYTE TESTER: A handy tool for transferring sulfuric acid' from a car battery to the inside of your toolbox after de­termining that your battery is dead as a doornail², just as you thought.

1 - серная кислота; 2 - погибший окончательно

^^^Ш Unit 6 ^^^^ GEOTHERMAL ENERGY

PARTI

• Read and translate the text below.

Introduction

One is tempted to talk of the seven ages of geothermal development. From prehistory, natural hot springs have been used by man for bath­ing and cooking, and there is some evidence of piped systems as early as the 14^th century, but the second age — the managed exploitation of heat from the Earth — really began about one hundred years ago with the first piped heating systems in Europe and USA. These were fol­lowed closely by the first steps in commercial power generation (as early as 1904 in Italy), which developed quietly but unspectacularly up to the time of World War II. The third age (ca. 1950-1970) was a period of slow consolidation, with systems developing slowly but — above all - with far greater detailed knowledge of the underground and its ex­ploration emerging, primarily through the oil industry.

The fourth age (1973-1980) was the golden age of geothermal en-^ergy. Spurred by the first oil shock and with a solid foundation of geo­logical knowledge, geothermal power stations began to appear in more than 30 countries. During this period, the growth rate of worldwide installed capacity touched 14% per year, and averaged 8.5%. Similar though less spectacular development occurred also in direct geother­mal heating applications.

Worldwide Installed Geothermal Electric Capacity

Part of the reason for this enthusiastic development was the reliability

⁵¹ geothermal resources. Unlike the other sustainable energy sources

^icn ^ wind or solar, geothermal resources provide firm power, 24 hours

^3er day, 365 days per year. It is not unusual to find geothermal plant

42

Section I. Power Engineering

Unit 6. Geothermal Energy

43

with annual availability factors in excess of 98%, so load factors can be high, the energy supplied by geothermal is some 3.5 times greater thaJ for wind plant. This firmness in itself can be a considerable asset td the utilities.

By the early 1980's, however, fossil fuel supplies had stabilized and prices were falling in real terms. For a technology that required a highj initial capital investment and achieved its returns in terms of saving on fossil fuels, that was bad news. Coupled with the fact that this was a period of high interest rates and that — at least in new areas -J the geological risk (and hence risk to the invested capital) is high, 1985-1 1995 was essentially a period of stagnation for geothermal development]

There is evidence that this situation is now changing, and that wd may be entering into the sixth age of geothermal development — ond in which the environmental and other advantages of geothermal del velopment (by comparison with other energy sources, be they fossil oi renewable) begin to be recognized by a wider public. If this is true, wd can expect this sixth age to merge imperceptibly into a seventh agej early in the next century when new technologies — for whicl the research started in the 1970's — will extend the opportunities for geothermal usage to geographically and technically wider areas.

Not only are the better geothermal zones increasingly well under-l stood, but techniques of exploration and interpretation are becoming increasingly sophisticated — thanks, again, to the hydrocarbons industry which relies on essentially the same range of technologies. Geother-j mal's really strong point, however, is its potential to be environmen-1 tally friendly.

By operating geothermal systems as a closed loop, and reinjecting the contaminants along with the cooled water, the environmental iml pact can be reduced almost to zero.