Geothermal energy has been used for thousands of years. It’s a fantastic way to keep your house warm in the winter and to cool it off in the summer. Geothermal energy use is also becoming more widespread due to the rising cost of petroleum, and worldwide energy demands. However, there are concerns about the sustainability of geothermal energy.
Geothermal Energy Factsheet
Geothermal energy can be used to heat and cool your home for significantly less cost than traditional methods (like gas and oil). Geothermal energy taps into the Earth’s heat and stores it for you to use as needed. There are two different ways to use geothermal energy. In direct geothermal energy, the ground is dug up and a hole is drilled in order to release the stored heat, which is then used to heat and cool homes. In geoexchange, an existing heat source is used to heat and cool a home. Many homes are built with this type of system already in place.
Geothermal energy is found inside the earth, due to the fact that the temperature there ranges from just above freezing to a scorching hot 427°F (220°C). The temperature difference between the earth’s interior and its surface causes a natural convection cycle, which is used to generate electricity, heat or even grow crops. Geothermal energy is not only sustainable, but it is also clean, reliable, and renewable.
Direct Use and Heating/Cooling
You don’t have to live near a volcano to benefit from the natural heat of the earth. Geothermal heating and cooling is a natural, renewable energy source that can provide heating, cooling, and electricity to your home. Geothermal systems circulate water from a “geothermal heat pump” through a “ground loop” buried in the earth. The heat pump then transfers the heat from the earth into your home—in the winter to heat your living space and in the summer to cool it.
Geothermal systems are heating and cooling systems that take advantage of the constant temperature of the earth to provide efficient, cost-effective, and environmentally-friendly heating and cooling solutions. A geothermal system uses pipes and pumps to circulate a liquid, usually water, between a heat-exchanger and a ground source heat pump. The ground source heat pump recovers heat energy from the earth and uses it to heat or cool your home.
Energy Performance and Environmental Impacts
Geothermal electricity is usually extracted by using a geothermal well and a pump to extract hot water or steam from a geothermal reservoir. The heat can be used directly, or after being converted into electricity by a heat engine. This is called direct use. In this case, the electricity is used directly for heating, hot water, space heating, or industrial processes. If the heat is converted to mechanical energy, it can be used for industrial processes, or for district heating. If the heat is converted to electricity, it can be used for either heating (in a district heating system or in an industrial process, or for electricity generation.
The fast expansion of geothermal energy is increasing the prospects for long-term energy security and reducing carbon dioxide emissions. The intermittency challenge can be addressed by combining renewable energy with a dynamic energy storage system. The key part of such a storage system is a high-capacity electrochemical and/or thermal storage system, such as a battery or thermal storage material.
Geothermal power plants have low emission levels
Geothermal power plants have low emission levels. This is because geothermal energy is a sustainable energy source. Geothermal power plants are different from other power plants because they do not burn anything in order to produce electricity.
Geothermal power plants have low emission levels compared with other types of power plants because of their location. Geothermal power plants harness the natural heat of the Earth to generate electric power. They do this by using hot water from deep within the Earth to turn generators that produce electricity. This hot water can be found in many areas throughout the world. Geothermal power plants typically use steam and hot water from underground reservoirs to turn a turbine that creates electricity. These reservoirs are formed from hot magma or hot water rising from the Earth’s core. The water is often rich in dissolved minerals such as silica, which carry high loads of silica dust particles.
Even though they are not clean energies, they produce much less carbon dioxide than other power plants.
The emission levels are lower than the ones produced by nuclear power plants. The emissions can be greatly reduced by using the newer heat pump technology in the plants.
Environmental Impacts of Geothermal Energy
Geothermal energy is a renewable energy, and it has been used for centuries by people who live near hot volcanic areas. It can also be harnessed in other areas where the temperature is very high, such as in places with deep wells and active volcanoes.
Geothermal energy is produced by tapping into tectonic plate movement, where hot rock below the surface heats the water, and in turn makes steam. Geothermal energy is clean, and is available in many parts of the world.
Geothermal energy is a great source of power since it is “clean” and renewable. It can be used in place of fossil fuels like coal and oil, which are non-renewable and contribute to global warming.
Today, geothermal energy is a booming industry with the potential for a bright future. But for this industry to continue thriving, it must be mindful of the environmental impacts it has on the earth and the communities that surround it.
These impacts can vary from the construction of geothermal plants to the extraction of resources to the use of geothermal power itself.
Last Words
Despite the concerns over renewable energy sources, such as wind and solar, geothermal energy remains a great source of power. In fact, geothermal power is the largest source of renewable energy in the world. This is because geothermal power plants use naturally occurring heat to create steam, which in turn spins a turbine to produce electricity. Proponents of geothermal energy are also quick to note that it is one of the cleanest forms of energy, since it doesn’t release greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.
