Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Geothermal energy america
Important sources of geothermal energy
Geothermal energy, It's advantages and disadvantages
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: Geothermal energy america
Geothermal Energy: The Answer to the Energy Problem?
Abstract: The global community is currently searching for new sources of energy that are not detrimental to the environment, that are cost effective, and that will be able to provide for the current and future demand for energy. Geothermal energy is one of the promising alternatives to fossil fuels because it releases no toxic or greenhouse gas emissions, its current cost is decreasing yearly, and it is a continuous source of energy. It is a clean and efficient energy source that has the capabilities to provide for a majority of the power used in the residential, commercial, industrial, and electric power sectors. This paper will examine the current and most efficient methods of mass producing geothermal energy, its cost effectiveness, environmental impact of production, the amount of power it can produce, and will determine if geothermal energy could be the answer to the world’s energy problem Introduction: The United States is faced with a major problem: finding new energy sources that would not release pollutants released in the atmosphere. The search has been fruitful, with great development in solar, and wind technologies, but they remain much too expensive to mass produce and both have sporadic productions of energy due to a heavy reliance on the weather. Yet this search has also resulted in the growth and success of geothermal energy, which provides a continuous stream of heat energy from within the Earth. The geothermal field is quickly growing, making this renewable energy source a competitor amongst fossil fuels and a great hope for the future. Background:
Geothermal energy is heat from within the Earth. This heat energy is either steam or hot water that collects ...
... middle of paper ...
...hermal Power Production Jan 16 2008, Mark A. Taylor http://www.geoenergy.org/publications/reports/Geothermal_Production_and_Development_Update_January_16_2008.html
-The State of Geothermal Subsurface Technology Part1, November 2007, Mark A. Taylor -http://www.geo-energy.org/aboutGE/basics.asp
-US Department of Energy: Geothermal Power Plants http://www1.eere.energy.gov/geothermal/powerplants.html
-Energy Information Association http://www.eia.doe.gov/kids/energyfacts/sources/grothermal.html
-US energy consumption Data tables http://www.eia.doe.gov/cneaf/solar.renwables/page/rea_data/rea.pdf
-Geothermal Power- Energy America -http://www.energyamericaini.com/index.php/geo_power/
-National Geothermal Collaborative -Common Questions about Geothermal Energy http://www.geocollaborative.org/publications/common_questions_About_Geothermal_energy.pdf
...Kroeker designed the first commercial geothermal heat pump to heat the Commonwealth Building in Portland, Oregon and demonstrated it in 1946. In 1960, Pacific Gas and Electric began operation of the first successful geothermal electric power plant in the United States at The Geysers in California. The original turbine lasted for more than 30 years and produced 11 MW net power. The binary cycle power plant was first demonstrated in 1967 in the U.S.S.R. and later introduced to the U.S. in 1981. This technology allows the generation of electricity from much lower temperature resources than previously. (Wikipedia, 2011)
They should not mine hydrothermal vents. Mining them sea life is put at risk. By mining the sea life is inured and or killed. Along with sea life the ecosystem is also killed. The chemicals produced from this process kills anything in it’s path. Although many bad things happen they do receive some good things out of this process, like learning more about our earth. While the machines are under the ocean they discover many new minerals and important things. Hydrothermal vents are dangerous and shouldn’t be used as much as they are now.
To understand how a geothermal well works, you must first understand that underneath Earth’s crust, the temperature remains hot and stable. This means that any water that is harnessed through geothermal wells consistently maintains its temperature. As it is with standard well water, geothermal-heated water can
One of the big stalls on geothermal plants in Texas has been the fact that in order to get to a source hot enough you would have to dig deep in order to hit a site. We are proposing that we use existing drilling sites in the Permian Basin that have been used up and no longer needed for oil. If we can find the deepest sites with the highest temperatures we can use that and continue drilling deeper if needed. This would make these sites more economical as well since it does not need to be closed up. This way the need to find a geyser would not be needed since there is energy that exists. Setting up the plant is not much different from a normal coal power plant. The advantage is that it uses energy from heat from the earth which also give it more
Some climate scientists such as Ken Caldeira believe that humans will never reduce greenhouse gas emissions and that the earth will eventually return to the climate of the Cretaceous period due to climate change (How Far Can Climate Change Go?, 2012). There is enough evidence to suggest that this will not happen. Thanks to our individual senses of environmental consciousness, our uses and further research of alternative energy sources and fuels, and the potential for space colonization and exploration. We still have a chance to reverse our impact on the planet because of further advancements in technology and a sense of global consciousness.
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
Hydrothermal vents are among the most diverse and biologically active ecosystems of the ocean. At these locations, seawater penetrates through the cracks in the crust until it reaches hot heated magma rock. The seawater is heated and converted into hydrothermal fluid. These hydrothermal fluids then rapidly diffuse through the seafloor as black jets of superheated fluid or water rising from cracks in the deep ocean seafloor. This interaction between superheated hot hydrothermal fluid from the crust and seawater supports microbial life that is independent of photosynthesis and is detached from the photosynthetic biosphere. “This microbial life alters the chemistry of hydrothermal vent habitats and provides nourishment for the vent fauna” (Holden 206).
Geothermal energy is the thermal (heat) energy within the planet. Its is considered a renewable source of energy as it has always been around for for an abundant amount of years it will probably still be used in the next years because its source is the almost unlimited amount of heat generated by the Earth's core. Even in geothermal areas dependent on a reservoir of hot water, the volume taken out can be injected, making it a sustainable energy
“I am not dead yet!” Oh if only that were at least partially true for Earth. The truth is, the Earth is slowly overheating. It’s called Global Warming. It’s caused by greenhouse gases, which come from fossil fuels. Since fossil fuels are a main source of energy, must the world give up energy? No. Because thanks to alternative energy sources, there are other options. And these can change a community. Hydrogen energy and geothermal energy would bring many benefits to California. Hydrogen would work well in California because there are already so many stations there. Geothermal energy would work there because it is best used along the Ring of Fire, which California is on. And together they can both work in California and provide a better source of energy for the community.
Geothermal heat pumps are different from other heat pumps in that they use ground heat instead of extracting heat out of the air. This provides greater efficiency especially as the air temperature becomes very cold. “While many parts of the country experience seasonal temperature extremes – from scorching heat in the summer to sub-zero cold in the winter – a few feet below the earth’s surface the ground remains at a relatively constant temperature. Depending on latitude, ground temperatures range from 45°F (7°C) to 75°F (21°C). Like a cave, this ground temperature is warmer than the air above it during the winter and cooler than the air in the summer. This allows the system to reach fairly high efficiencies (300%-600%) on the coldest of winter nights, compared to 175%-250% for air-source heat pumps on cool days” (“Geothermal Heat,” 2011). With this capability the advantages become very favorable, which can significantly outweigh the additional cost.
Electricity is one of the biggest outputs of geothermal energy. It was first recorded to produce electricity in 1904 in Italy. There are now geothermal power plants in operation in New Zealand, Japan, Iceland, the US and elsewhere.
Saini, Keshav. "Solar Thermal Energy Pros and Cons | Environmental Issues." Environmental Issues Blog. N.p., 6 Jan. 2012. Web. 04 Mar. 2014. .
One of the most compelling arguments for the use of renewable energy is how many forms exist of it. Nuclear power, solar power, wind power, tidal power, hydroelectric power, pumped storage, wave power, geothermal power, biomass, and biogas are the most widely known renewable energy sources (Darvill, 2013). This large selection of fuels supports the idea of renewable fuels one day powering the entire planet. All the sources of energy have different niches and benefits. Solar energy is extremely effective when providing energy for small establishments such as a house or small store, but hydrothermal power would be a more plausible solution for factories or large establishments....
The demand for an efficient renewable energy source is a driving force in ongoing research. Thermal energy conversion is one such potential source that is under constant investigation and has endless avenues of possibility. The two requirements of energy production are efficiency and renewability. Many possibilities exist for energy production including: Fossil Fuels (natural gas, oil, coal, oilshale), nuclear, solar, wind, geothermal, biomass and wastes, & hydroelectric. Efficiency of the use of these resource are directly related to the location and the demand in that location. For example Hawaii is a prime candidate for the use of the oceans mechanical wave action, the thermal gradient of the ocean, wind, and biomass from the high levels of plant growth. The demand for another energy source comes from Hawaii's dependence on oil that has to be transported there.