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When considering the many sources of renewable energy that could help reduce the United States’ dependence on fossil fuels, much consideration must be give to geothermal energy.  Geothermal energy is entirely clean and does not pose the health risks associated with the harvesting, use, and burning of fossil fuels.  It is an affordable and sustainable option, something that should be given great consideration as a viable alternative.

Geothermal energy is simply the heat given off by the earth itself.  The core of the earth contains a layer of magma that continually produces heat.  This heat is produced by the decay of radioactive materials such as uranium, and over fifty thousand times more energy than contained by all of our oil and natural gas resources can be found in only a 33,000 foot radius of the earth’s surface.

Currently, the most common method of harvesting geothermal energy is by tapping into geothermal springs.  In these springs, cooler water seeps into the ground, only to be heated through convection and rise to the surface as steam.  This steam is collected and used to power electricity generators.  Many power plants drill into the earth in order to capture steam more effectively and in greater quantities.

Many geothermal reservoirs have been discovered across the globe, each with the capacity to produce as much energy as a thousand wind power plants.  There is currently much research taking part on a global scale to find effective and safe ways to tap into and utilize this energy.  The biggest hindrance to mass geothermal energy use has been the buildup of silica inside wells at geothermal power plants.  Because researchers have recently found ways to help control this costly problem that has long been the biggest barrier to widespread use of geothermal energy, there is much hope that this form of energy will finally receive the attention and consideration it deserves.

With the discovery of a way to control silica buildup comes the hope that the energy committees will invest more research and money into geothermal energy, which promises to be both inexpensive and one of the cleanest energy sources available.  Over sixty million people worldwide receive their electricity from geothermal power plants, with over four million of those people residing in the United States.  Supporters of geothermal industry hope to see that number rise significantly in the coming years, as the process becomes more efficient in regards to both finances and energy production.

In short, tapping into the earth to harvest geothermal energy is by far one of the most sustainable methods of acquiring energy available.  The earth’s core is a constant supply of energy, with no risk of depletion and no harmful emissions.  Much research should be put into geothermal energy to find the best possible methods of bringing the technology to the greatest number of people, creating energy independence and eliminating the need for fossil fuels in the production of electricity.

Geothermal power presents a lot of energetic potential to the world nowadays. It represents a fairly unexploited energetic sector which could in fact generate incredulous amounts of energy if properly explored. Geothermal power is produced from the Earth itself and thus, comes with the advantage of being natural. Power accumulates on the surface crust and thus all we would need to do would be tap it and then use it accordingly.

Inside the core of the Earth, the temperature can reach unbelievable temperature, sixty times more than the temperature to boil water for instance. The heat deposited in the core of the earth puts pressure on the crust and thus harnesses a lot of energy. Fluids that are superheated such as magma, the type of fluid we see coming from a volcano erupting, is present everywhere inside the core and thus, whenever a volcano erupts, some of that incredulous amount of energy and magma are released on the surface of the earth. The fluids also come on the surface as steams, coming from vents. We could then exploit the concept of these vents and invent some of our own, fitting them with containment chambers used for the magma as well as using the energy contained there to convert it into electricity, light and heat for the homes. If we manage to create a geothermal based power plants, then wells inside the earth could be dug and there were would a constant supply of magma to begin with. Piping would be inserted into the sources and the fluids would emerge on the surface of the earth to produce the necessary amount of steam to use for heating purposes. The steam would then activate turbine engines, which would in turn generate the electricity we would need.

Despite the obvious advantages, geothermal energy comes at relative costs. For instance, it is for now fairly impossible to implement it on a large scale. Opponents of the idea of geothermal energy to produce electricity argue that it is too costly to produce the energy and install the equipment that is needed to do so. It is also fairly expensive to construct a geothermal plant because there is no actual sign that one could be able to garner a profit from it. Geothermal sites may not produce the necessary amount of steam if the installation is done and therefore, the plant would not become lucrative enough to be constructed.A lot of waste would be then generated.

There are however, the undeniable benefits of the geothermal energy that would ensure that efficient processes can help create the necessary energy. For instance, because geothermal energy comes from natural resources, mainly the Earth, this means that there are no pollutants involved in the processes of creating energy. Another thing that should be emphasized is that geothermal energy remains efficient in that once the power supply is found and steam is coming at a constant rate, there is minimal energy required to channel it into producing energy that is after you set up the plant. Another thing would be that geothermal plants need not be as big as electrical ones, atomic facilities or giant dams because there is no need to install so much equipment to manage to convert the energy. The impact on the environment is also low, because this alternative energy does create residue, but it is only natural residue that can be easily used for some other purposes.

By using this alternative energy, we will thus become less dependent on the oil and coal used to create fossil fuels. Since there is no limit to the amount of geothermal energy one can have, therefore it would never become a commodity leading to incredulous prices, because geothermal power can be found almost everywhere. Therefore, if careful investigation is done, one could use geothermal energy to help create the energy and power of tomorrow.

It is increasingly being recognized that the world has to replace fossil fuels with alternate fuels. This recognition is being driven by three premises:

First: Fossil fuels, coal, oil and natural gas, are accelerating in cost as they are consumed in ever-increasing amounts. The February 12, 2008 issue of the Wall Street Journal has two articles to re-enforce this premise. The first article, “China Spurs Coal-Price Surge,” by Shai Oster and Ann Davis, informs us that the price of coal out of Newcastle, Australia has increased from $40 USD at the start of 2007to $125 USA at the 2008. The article goes on to inform us that coal will join oil and natural gas in 2015 as sources that are depleting.

The second article, “The Future of World Oil Supply – Filling the Missing Link,” by Peter Jackson and Keith Eastwood ,informs us that the world’s oil fields will reach peak production around 2025 and then start a rapid decline in production. Second: Oil and gas imports from foreign sources raise concerns over our long-term energy security. We all have witnessed the jump in oil prices caused by wars, strikes and disrupted supplies. Gregory Meyers’ article in the same issue of the Wall Street Journal cited Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez’ threat to disrupt the supply of oil to the USA because of a dispute with Exxon Mobil Corp. This threat caused a 2% increase in the price of crude oil.

Third: Burning fossil fuels dumps carbon dioxide and other pollutants into the atmosphere. The dumping of the pollutants is considered a fact. The severity of the damage to our atmosphere is still being debated, but most scientists believe that the future consequences will be very damaging to the quality and affordability of the lifestyles of our current and future generations.

Fortunately, renewable energies are accelerating into the forefront to replace fossil fuels, but will the replacement be in time? Germany has adopted wind and solar energies and is leading the world in the replacement of fossil fuels. These alternate fuels are quickly being adopted in many countries to help replace fossil fuels. These countries provide a blueprint for the USA to follow and in replacing its dependence on fossil fuels. The most popular replacements are wind and solar energy. Both of these technologies require us to rethink our energy policies.

There is a third leg available for the replacement of fossils fuels, geothermal energy. This type of energy offers us a potential to replace our coal fired electrical generating plants by 2050. It is available and being utilized today. It is the third leg of the tripod that we need to replace fossil fuels in time to retain our quality of life. What is Geothermal Energy?.

Geothermal energy is derived from the heat in the interior of the earth. Geothermal systems move the heat from the earth into the home in the winter and discharge heat into the ground in the summer. Underground piping serves as a heat source in the winter and a heat sink in the summer. In essence, it is the same heat-exchanging process used by the common refrigerator or air conditioner. Heat from the earth can be used as an energy source in many ways, from large and complex power stations to small and relatively simple pumping stations. Examples of this heat energy can be found almost anywhere. It can be found as far away as remote, deep wells in Indonesia and as close as our own backyard.

In the Western United States and in other places around the world, geothermal energy produces electricity in large power plants. Today, geothermal energy provides about five percent of California’s electricity, and 25 percent of El Salvador’s. In Idaho and Iceland, geothermal heat is used to warm buildings and other applications. In thousands of homes and buildings across the United States, geothermal heat pumps use the steady temperature just underground to heat and cool buildings, cleanly and inexpensively.

Physics of Geothermal Energy: Just a few meters below the earth’s surface the temperature of the soil becomes rather constant. You can depend on this constant temperature throughout the seasons. You can extract this heat in the winter to heat your house or to “bury” your heat in the summer to cool your house. Trench-pipe systems are utilized in areas where ample space is available and well systems are utilized where there is limited space. It is within the trench or well system that “coolant” is circulated to deposit or extract the energy within the earth. As one can extrapolate, the further we reach into the earth the higher the temperature will be. We have a great understanding of the heat transfer parameters for all the zones of the United States. The physical parameters of this technology are beyond the scope of this paper, but past successes in design have demonstrated our ability to harness this energy. In addition, we can gain a great benefit from our oil companies. The technology successes that the oil companies have had in drilling for oil can now be applied to drilling for geothermal energy.

Great, How Much Will It Cost Us? An MIT study by MIT Professor Jefferson Tester et.al., The Future of Geothermal Energy, a study of the potential for geothermal energy within the United States, found that mining the huge amounts of heat that resides as stored thermal energy in the earth’s hard rock crust could supply a substantial portion of the electricity the United States will need in the future, probably at competitive prices and with minimal environmental impact. It was their conclusion that geothermal energy could supply 10% of our electrical needs by the year 2050. This time frame could be accelerated if we, and our government, adopted a more aggressive schedule. A conclusion from the MIT study ,mentioned previously estimates that a project costing $300 million US dollars to $400 million US dollars is needed to fund early generation plants. The same study cites a US government study of geothermal energy which estimates that for every 100,000 nominally sized residential units consumers will save approximately $500 million over a 20 year time span in heating and cooling cost at today’s prices. This estimate was from a 1993 US Government report. Installation of a heat pump in a four-bedroom, 3,000 square foot house situated in the middle of the US would cost approximately $26,000.00. Payback at today’s energy cost of $0.09 per kilowatt would be in the range of 13 to 14 years. Government incentives and home appreciation are not included in this analysis.

Summary: Geothermal energy is a tested and available renewable energy that can be utilized to replace fossil fuels today. Heat mining has the potential to supply a significant amount of the country’s electricity currently being generated by conventional fossil fuel, hydroelectric and nuclear plants. The resolve to replace fossil fuels with geothermal, wind or solar is left to us and to our government. The technologies are available and ready to be deployed.