Geothermal Energy
What is a Resource?
Outline the features of a resource that would classify as non-renewable
A resource is a benefiting source or supply from which energy is produced. Non-renewable resources are not easily replenished by the environment, and are unsustainable economic extractions for energy that won’t last the extent of humanity's time-frame. These include fossil fuels such as oil, natural gas and coal, as these take many billions of years to form, and cannot be replenished quickly enough. Renewable resources will never be depleted during the existence of humanity, such as solar energy from the sun, which will last for another 5 billion years.
Formation, location and Uses
Explain how Geothermal energy is found/formed used
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However environmental impacts will differ depending on the conversion and cooling technology used. Firstly geothermal plants can have effects on both water quality and consumption. Hot water pumped from underground reservoirs often contains high levels of salt, sulfur and other minerals. Air emissions in a open-looped system emit boron, ammonia, carbon dioxide, hydrogen sulfide and methane which will also have a harmful impact on the environment. Furthermore hydrogen sulfide changes into sulfur dioxide once in the atmosphere. This harmful gas contributes to small acidic particulates that can be absorbed by the bloodstream and cause heart and lung disease. This gas is also aids in creating acid rain, which in turn damages forests, soils and crops, and acidifies streams and lakes. Land subsidence, which is caused by the removal of water from the geothermal reservoirs can also have a colossal effect on the …show more content…
Usually, to get geothermal energy you would have to pump water down through hot rocks and extracting it again. However, a recent discovery suggests that carbon dioxide can be more efficient in extracting heat. Studies show that CO2 can increase energy-production by over 50%.
Obtaining Geothermal Energy
What technologies are used to obtain this resource.
Most of the geothermal heat does not bubble out as magma, water of steam, but instead, it is stored in the mantle, collecting as pockets of heat. By drilling and pumping down water to create steam, this energy can be harnessed.
Currently, geothermal energy is currently produced at a power station in Birdsville, Western Queensland, using diesel-powered generators. The fluid, at 98OC, comes from the Great Artesian Basin. This fluid runs through an Organic Rankine cycle heat exchanger full of gas which heats and pressurises it, driving a turbine and alternator to produce electricity.
Geothermal heat pumps can extract heat from hot springs. This system consists of a heat pump, an air delivery system called ductwork, and a heat exchanger (system of pipes buried in the shallow ground near the
Geothermal energy is thermal energy generated and stored in the Earth. Thermal energy is the energy that determines the temperature of matter. Due to this effect, it widely impact lives and cultures around its area. During winter, temperatures of the whole Yellowstone will drop to 0 degree Fahrenheit, and the snow thickness reaches 20 inches. In addition, an elevation of 7,733 feet (2,357 m) above sea level forms rarefied air in Yellowstone area. All of these show a severe circumstance for any plants or animals. However, geothermal energy in Yellowstone changes this condition.
"5 Things to Know About a Geothermal Heat Pump." The Family Handyman. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 May 2014
On behalf of the citizens of Alberta, I am writing this letter to request that you consider the idea of promoting the use of geothermal plants in Alberta. The idea behind this is that Alberta's current system for electricity production is not the most adequate for this province as the environmental and social consequences are very considerable. Burning fossil fuels can pollute the environment by adding smoke particles and other chemicals to the air, water, and soil. Extracting coal from Earth can disturb the environment because large areas of land are ripped up to expose the ore for mining. Removing the top layer (called overburden) to expose the coal also destroys the habitat and food supply for the plants and animals that live in the area. Besides having a serious impact on the environment, coal mining also has many social side effects. Working conditions are poor, the work is dangerous and there are significant health risks for both miners and local residents. Local people are often forced to relocate and there are poor union rights. These are the reason why we are proposing a new source of energy for Alberta's citizens, such as geothermal energy.
Renewable energy is an energy obtained from the natural resources such as from sunlight, wind, rain, tides and geothermal heat. Australia has extensive energy resources which include both renewable and non-renewable sources. (Pam Pham, 2015) Additionally, there are varieties of renewable energy technologies use in Australia which provided substantial benefits for climate and health to the environment they are bioenergy, geothermal energy, solar energy, wind energy and so on. Whereas, fossil fuel resources such as black and brown coal which has a huge impact on global warming and environmental pollution. Generally, the energy produces in Australia are usually for own use and to export for consumption in overseas. The primary energy production
Alternative energy sources are renewable, and is most commonly referred to as free energy sources. There are many alternative energy sources such as hydro power, solar power, wind, biomass, and geothermal. Using alternative sources is more expensive in the long run, but it is the much safer option for our environment compared to fossil fuels. Although everything used is completely free, such as water and wind, the equipment used to generate these things are expensive. There are several pros and cons that come with the utilization of alternative energy sources.
For the generation of electricity, hot water, at temperatures ranging from about 700 degrees F, is brought from the underground reservoir to the surface through production wells, and is flashed to steam in special vessels by release of pressure. The steam is separated from the liquid and fed to a turbine engine, which turns a generator. In turn, the generator produces electricity. Spent geothermal fluid is injected back into peripheral parts of the reservoir to help maintain reservoir pressure. If the reservoir is to be used for direct-heat application, the geothermal water is usually fed to a heat exchanger before being injected back into the earth. Heated domestic water from the output side of the heat exchanger is used for home heating, greenhouse heating, vegetable drying and a wide variety of other uses.
When coal gets burned they start to release harmful dangerous toxins such as mercury, lead and arsenic that will then escape into the air. It also releases large amounts of carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere. These emissions increase the greenhouse effect in the atmosphere and lead to global warming.
The cheapest way to generate electricity, today, is hydropower. The reason for that is, once a dam has been constructed and equipment installed, the source of the energy is free. It is a fuel source that is renewable because of things like snow and rainfall. Engineers may control the water flow on demand.
Furthermore, in 2000, the Harvard School of Public Health looked at the human health effects from two fossil-fuel-fired power plants in Massachusetts. It estimates that the air pollution from the plants causes:159 premature deaths, 1,710 emergency room visits, 43,300 asthma attacks each year (Levy). Without a doubt, burning fossil fuels increases CO2 levels in the atmosphere and causes an increase in atmospheric and ocean temperatures, they also present an endangerment to living organisms. Strangely enough, wind is a form of solar energy.
The United States currently relies heavily on coal, oil, and natural gas for its energy. While the price of natural gas per barrel continues to plummet, the United States is constantly seeking new sources of renewable energy. Renewable energy consists of any type of natural resource (solar power, ocean power, wind power, rain, snow, etc.). that naturally and automatically replenishes itself. Renewable energy is important because it is infinite and everlasting, meaning our children and our children’s children will be able to utilize these resources long after we are gone.
...have to transport fuel like most power plants. Geothermal power plants have been built in deserts and in mountain and forests. Not all areas are suitable for production of electricity with the help of geothermal energy and it also depends on the structure of rocks. The generation of geothermal energy creates noise pollution and releases noxious smells. Even though operating costs are low, cost of setting up a geothermal plant is very high also it’s expensive to drill holes so deep in the earth.
Geothermal plants also co-exist successfully with other land uses. Adverse environmental impacts of geothermal development may include land subsidence and increased microseismic activity. However, such adverse factors need to be balanced against the more obvious advantages of geothermal over fossil fuels.
Greenhouse gasses that are released into the air when mining are harmful to the environment and the release of dust particulates negatively affect the ecosystems around the mines. As well as the air pollution there is usually a large amount of noise. In Gauteng large scale mining has caused the dolomite rock to cave in which has resulted in large sinkholes forming and earthquakes.
Energy can be put into two broad categories Renewable energy and none renewable energy. Renewable energy sources can be reused continually as they are abundantly found in nature. All of them are non-polluting but devices used to collect the energy may impact the environment adversely. They are free but producing storage equipment or converting them into another form of energy may be costly.
There are different kinds of resources that we can use in order to produce renewable energy. Solar power, wind power, hydroelectric power are just some of the kinds of renewable energy that might be the best options to obtain energy because they come from natural resources. Although renewable energy can be expensive to build, it has less environmental damage in comparison to non-renewable energy. Besides the natural resources such as sun, wind, water and hydrogen, we also have geothermal power, and biofuels as renewable sources.