Alternative Energy Sources And The Earth
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Geothermal energy is energy from the earth. It is the heat inside earth, which creates molten magma. The temperature of earth’s core is estimated to be 6650 o C.
Best sites for extracting geothermal energy are those around plate margins. As the crusts are thin in these areas. Geothermal energy can be used in 2 ways:
- direct heat usage, and
- electricity generation.
Direct heat usage is the simplest and most used. It is used in Japan in high latitude places that are on plate boundaries. Wells are dug deep and water pipelines are installed. The hot water from these pipelines is used for heating residences and commercial places, melting ice on roads, drying clothes, and various other purposes. Electricity generation is similar to the direct usage, with the difference of much higher temperatures. These temperatures are used to generate steam, which pushes turbines and produces electricity.
There are a number of different kinds of geothermal energy:
- The geothermal system where hot magma is close to the surface (about 1,500 to 10,000m below surface) and it directly heats the groundwater. These surface as hot springs, geysers and volcanoes. These can be tapped by to produce electricity or hot water.
- Other geothermal systems form when magma heats rocks which then heat groundwater. Geothermal facilities break open these hot dry rocks and pump water through them and use this hot water to generate electricity.
Geothermal energy is being used for more than a century, but its use has to be made more efficient. To build a geothermal plant, working platforms and roads have to be built, in order to bring the production and exploratory equipment. Such changes are damaging to the immediate environment, and its plants and wildlife. Also, a deep well has to be dug which will pass through underground water bodies. The drilling fluid could contaminate these water bodies. The temperature in the area will increase and this can kill the water life. The mud bored out has to be disposed as well. The dissolved substances and gases, like CO2, methane, hydrogen sulfide, mercury, and arsenic, in the geothermal fluid usually could pollute the environment. If there is a leak of hot wastewater into the surrounding areas, the ecosystem could be damaged.
However, this energy does not require any fuel. It is economical and does not harm the environment when its stored, used or transported. It has a continuous supply and is not dependent on the political or economical climate. It does not harm the environment. It has no dependence on foreign trade. Since no fuel is burned when the plants are operated, the amount of CO2 and other gases formed in burning of fossil fuels are reduced significantly. No nitrous oxide and sulfur bearing gases are produced. No open pits, tunnels, mineshafts, oil spills or waste heaps are created either. Most importantly, we will never run out of this energy, and it is not likely to become more expensive either. Once the investigation to build a power plant is complete, and the plant is built, generating the energy will be very cheap.
This has remained a largely unexplored area, which has huge potential for alternative energy. Right below the surface of the earth we live on, vast energy reservoirs exist. All we need is to dip into and harness this energy.