Geothermal Energy: Saving the Climate from Fossil Fuels Danger

There are various advantages of using geothermal energy over fossil fuels. Geothermal costs less. Since no fuel is purchased and the facility costs are essentially fixed, the cost of geothermal energy production is constant during the course of the facility. It also provides a continuous source of energy all the time. Moreover, geothermal energy has a higher capacity factor. 

Geothermal power plants can produce up to 95%, much higher than the capacity factor of coal plants, which is only 60-70%. Most importantly, geothermal energy is a renewable source because it comes from the earth's core and the fluid is circulated back to the earth. Also, geothermal energy produces the least amount of pollution and greenhouse gasses. 

More interesting, geothermal energy can be found everywhere all around the world. However, there are several countries with higher geothermal potential, including Indonesia. Indonesia's geothermal energy potential is around 40% of the world's geothermal energy potential or approximately 23,9 GW. This placed Indonesia as the second country in the world with the most geothermal energy potential after the United States of America.

As stated before, Indonesia still has a large amount of unused geothermal energy. Luckily, the Indonesian government has taken steps to harness this geothermal energy by establishing PT Pertamina Geothermal Energy (PGE). PGE presently manages 13 geothermal operating zones, which have the potential to reduce CO2 emissions by about 9.7 million tonnes annually. Considering all of the advantages mentioned above, geothermal energy could be one of Indonesia's finest options for achieving the Net-Zero Goal as well as saving the environment from the dangers of fossil fuels. 

Written by: Revadhia H.A. & Edward F.S.

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