Federal funding of research and development in geothermal will make geothermal the best solution for providing electrical power in the United States
Brittany McManus
Abstract:
The unprecedented Paris Agreement means the United States needs to find ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. To reduce emissions of carbon dioxide, the highest percentage of greenhouse gases emitted, the United States must replace fossil fuels in the production of electricity. Currently there are several options being put forth but their distribution/access remains limited due to natural resource availability. Geothermal on the other hand can operate 24 hours a day. The largest impediment to geothermal power plants are industry costs. The United States can use funding from Mission Innovation and federal funding to promote
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The most popular options have relied on surface processes like wind, water, and sunlight. Solar, wind, and water power plants are limited to specific locations where their natural resources can be used. Unfortunately, these three alternative clean resources are not as easily accessible across the country. The geothermal gradient reaches temperatures suitable for geothermal production purposes within the first few kilometers of the continental crust. This means geothermal sites can be built in each region of the United States. Dams, windmills, and solar fields take up large areas of land which can be another challenge for building across the nation. Geothermal power plants in comparison take up far less surface space, causing less of a disruption to the surrounding environment. Relying on the weather can cause disruptions in production and require electrical storage capacity, creating an additional cost. Geothermal energy only requires fluid, heat, and permeability to be operational 24 hours a day (U.S. Department of Energy Annual Report Geothermal Technologies
There are many sources of energy today, and the best source of it is constantly being sought after, one source stands out above the rest. Nuclear energy is simple in theory, yet it may be one of the most controversial sources of power. Nuclear energy works using reactors built to split the atoms (nuclear fission) of the fuel to produce heat. This heat evaporates the cooling agent (usually water) into steam which turns turbines to create electricity. Nuclear energy should be allowed, because it produces an abundance of electricity, as well as being a clean source of energy with no harmful emissions. Nuclear energy is the future of clean, environmentally friendly energy.
Research Question: Are we sure enough about the alleged anthropogenic cause of climate change to embrace the uncertainties of geoengineering?
Our country is currently suffering energy-wise, we have been powering with inefficient sources for years now and the harm that it is doing to the country has started to become apparent. Renewable energy is the only way to stop, or at the very least set back the inevitable downfall of our ecosystem. I think that the next big breakthrough for renewable energy is implementing off-grid communities that use renewable sources as their main sources of power, so that we can potentially escape the energy rut that we got ourselves stuck in.
“Where does our power come from?”, when asked, many people would not know the answer to this question. Some might say wind, water, or solar, but the main provider of America’s power are coal plants and nuclear reactors running to keep the lights on. Unfortunately, there is no free energy, it comes with a cost to the environment and its inhabitants. So when the choice arises to change the way humanity looks at our consumption of power, why chose the way we do things. Because the time has come for us as a country and the world to make the switch from the old to the new. We need to switch to nuclear power instead of fossil fuels such as coal and oil. Nuclear energy is a clean way to create electricity vesus other ways that produce the same amount
When does protecting one’s well-being and those of others for the sake of using natural gas become a priority? This is just one of the questions asked when hydraulic fracturing, more commonly known as fracking, grew in notoriety here in the United States. The United States should stop using this form of drilling if it truly wants to protect its citizens. It must be stopped because it is putting our health at risk by poisoning the water that we drink, wasting billions of gallons of fresh water, and polluting the air that we breathe.
“By 2050, one-third of the world’s energy will need to come from solar, wind, and other renewable resources” (www.altenergy.org). America can no longer rely so heavily on nuclear energy. America needs to harness the energy found within natural, renewable resources. In fact, nuclear energy needs to be phased out completely because of its negative impact on health, the environment, and its overall cost.
Geoengineering, the act of purposefully manipulating earth’s systems(Steffen Will et al.); “One of the most relentless moral narratives in the American environmental tradition is the critique of technology and of the human desire to manipulate and control nature.” (Minteer)The problem is viewpoint against the use of any geoengineering are coming from pre-determined stigmas that society has put around the of geoengineering. Although in many circumstances these negative connotation are true because when dealing with intentionally manipulating anthropogenic forcing’s, not only the intended outcomes occur but many unpredictable changes/side effects occur within the environment occur.
"5 Things to Know About a Geothermal Heat Pump." The Family Handyman. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 May 2014
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
Hydraulic fracturing, or it’s more common name fracking, has been a very debatable topic for decades. Fracking is when chemicals, water and sand are pumped into the ground to break apart rock so that natural gas can be released. Not only is fracking obviously bad for the environment, but it also has many impacts on the people that surround the area. Fracking has short term benefits, but long term consequences and impacts to the entire ecosystem. Fracking that is done today can affect our future generations for many years and generations to come. Although hydraulic fracking may reduce our dependency of oil on other countries and stabilize our economy, fracking has way too many environmental and health impacts; therefore proving that fracking is problematic and should not be an energy resource that countries depend on.
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.
Nuclear power, one of the world’s most talked about topic at the moment. The debate on whether nuclear power should or shouldn’t be used. Implementing nuclear power in most regions of the world would lead to cleaner air, a decrease in the rapidly increasing climate change. Also, a more reliable and efficient power source for the world. As well, it’s very safe, so we don’t need to worry about accidents occurring.
Mining is the process or industry of obtaining minerals from the earth. Topics in this paper I’ll be specifically discussing are pros and cons of mining, structures of a mine, mining in general, California gold rush, diamonds in Africa, and comparison of diamond and gold mines.
Although renewable energy can be expensive to build, it has less environmental damages 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. First of all, solar energy is the energy produced when the sun heats the solar panel. Thus, when the sun heat the panels, it produces electricity. Solar power produces energy during the day and can storage energy for the night. Solar power does not pollute so much the environment. However, it has high maintenance cost, and it takes a large land space. Secondly, 15% of World electricity comes from wind. In order to have wind energy, it is important to have turbines to get the wind in order to produce electricity. Tall turbines produce more energy. The drawbacks of wind power are that it requires steady wind and its installations may interfere with TVs, cellphones, and other electrical devices. However, it is quickly built and there is no pollution nor noise produced. Third of all, the water falls in the dam can also generate electricity. For instance, 19% of world electricity comes from water. Regardless of the fact that hydroelectric power has low maintenance costs and does not pollute the environment, it can cause earthquakes, and destroy wild rivers. Only 0.3% of world energy
Using fossil fuels such as coal and oil is inefficient, dangerous, and otherwise a process that is known to eventually fail as a long lasting energy source. Yet, there is hope for the future of energy, this new hope has many shapes and forms, but requires a chance to be fully implemented in our everyday life. Such energy sources like solar energy, wind energy, geothermal energy, and hydro power are the key to our future. These energy sources are proven to be long lasting, safe, more reliable, and the next innovation. In short, all Americans should switch to renewable energy, resulting in a safer and more efficient world.