Introduction
Geothermal energy is one of the most important renewable energy resources there is.2 Other examples of important renewable resources are wind power, solar power, and hydro power.2 Geothermal power use is being used effectively throughout the world. As of 2012, the United States is above all other countries in the world with installed geothermal energy capacity.1 The United States has taken advantage of this energy resource by installing geothermal plants in nine states.1 The states in which the geothermal plants are utilized are located in the western United States.1 The state of California has been the location where the United States concentrates their capacity of geothermal energy.1 In 2005, California contained more geothermal capacity than any other country in the world.1 California has 25 areas of geothermal resources.3 The state of Nevada also shows a large production in the United States with 22 running energy plants; it has the most projects of geothermal power plants underway than any other state.1 Besides the fact that the United States is increasing their projects in producing geothermal plants; experts believe that the geothermal plants will have a rapid growth in the near future.2
Production of Geothermal Energy
The production of geothermal energy is often involved in regions where there is volcanic activity or where it is seismically active.3 The energy produced is the heat that comes from the earth.3 Most power plants that produce electricity use the steam to turn the turbine to then activate the generator which then generates electricity. The steam provided is usually from the burning of fossil fuels.4 However, geothermal plants do not receive their steam from fossil fuels, rather the...
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...When bringing water up from the earth, hazardous gases can be brought up as well such as hydrogen sulfide, or arsenic and mercury.9
Conclusion
Geothermal power plants are a great resource to use in regions where there is naturally occurring heat from the earth. When considering what is environmentally cleaner or safer for the atmosphere and for human well-being, geothermal has proven worthy to countries and different regions throughout the globe. If there is a willingness to pay an expensive price and drill extreme distances to provide geothermal energy, there can be many benefits. Though the benefits may be a positive influence and environmentally safe, large amounts of land can be consumed and taken up permanently. Countries around the world continue to evaluate and decide the effectiveness geothermal plants have on the environment and towards the people.
"5 Things to Know About a Geothermal Heat Pump." The Family Handyman. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 May 2014
Water pollution is a very serious problem as it affects one of the most essential ingredients to our very livelihood. The earth is covered in water, in fact about 70% of the Earth is covered in water, only
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.
Such is the condition of Texas waterways. The surging population in Texas, the numerous pharma, chemical and oil industries, landowners, farmers and other residents have been recklessly using water. Water is a limited resource and our best efforts in recycling, reusing and conserving water have not yielded the desired results. Climatic changes over the past few decades may have resulted in unpredictable rainfall in Texas. It is important to conserve water without polluting it. It is shocking to know that the drinking water has traces of arsenic, cyanide, nitrates, asbestos and mercury and lead. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the National Geological Survey after conducting studies have shown that water samples containing growth hormones, various antibiotics,birth control drugs, and many other chemicals end up in ground water. The Trinity River is highly polluted with bacteria from sewage. The high water pollution in Texas State by various sources causes environmental hazards and life threatening diseases like cancer and nerve damage; thus the government and community should intensify their efforts to reduce pollution and make drinking water safe.
There are many developing countries also looking into nuclear energy because of all the benefits nuclear power has to offer. As of right now between sixteen and thirty nuclear power plants are being made in developing countries like China and India. Both of these countries are moving towards nuclear energy for many reasons like its reliability and amount of energy it producing. It is very beneficial because it only takes up a small amount of space to make one of these nuclear plants and the amount of energy they produce is substantial. Both of these countries are looking into h...
...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)
Nuclear energy is produced from the splitting of millions of uranium atoms in a very interesting process called fission. This type of process is used in big power plants where there are numerous tools and machinery that help produce the energy. From generators to pumps to turbines and transformers there are up to 12 main components that all come and work together to create high amounts of electricity. The fission process is used to produce a lot of heat and steam from the reactor where uranium rods are placed. That very hot steam then travels to big turbines and spins them through the generator to generate and produce high amounts of electricity. The electricity then travels to transformers and from there it travels through land wires that run hundreds of miles into cities and towns (World Nuclear Association [WNA], 2014).
In 2016 Texas produced about one third of the nation’s crude oil, more than any other single state created. About 25 percent of the country’s natural gas reserves are located in our state which is used to produce about 50 percent of the state’s electricity. Power plants fueled by coal produced about 25 percent of the state’s electricity, and wind power accounted for about 12.5 percent. Right under wind power is the increasing use of solar panels for electricity. As the world turns to more renewable sources of energy, the state also has the potential to increase the use of hydroelectric and geothermal resources (U.S. Energy Information Administration, 2018).
The United States currently relies heavily on coal, oil, and natural gas for its energy. While the price of natural gas per barrel continues to plummet, the United States is constantly seeking new sources of renewable energy. Renewable energy consists of any type of natural resource (solar power, ocean power, wind power, rain, snow, etc.) that naturally and automatically replenishes itself. Renewable energy is important because it is infinite and everlasting, meaning our children and our children’s children will be able to utilize these resources long after we are gone. I believe the only way the United States and the world will see a large-scale transition to renewable energy sources is through education. Right now, it seems as though only a few pockets of people throughout the world are aware of the positive benefits of renewable energy sources. Not only is it better and cleaner for our environment, but the industry of renewable energy could also
According to The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), “The initial cost of a geothermal heat pump system varies greatly according to local labor rates, lot geology and size . . . equipment costs can be 50-100% more expensive for a geothermal heat pump system…” (NAHB, 2001). These higher costs result from the required ground circulation l...
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.
Electricity from nuclear energy is created by a simple series of steps. This particular one is a common one that many factories use. Our current technology depends much more on nuclear fission than fusion, so uranium atoms are split. When the atoms are split, they create heat that causes the water form into steam. The steam then turns a turbine, which creates the power that you see and use in your everyday life.
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....
do not be harmed by water pollution but the cause much it. Many companies pour
Why do we need to rely on renewable sources? Most of the energy that we use today come from fossil fuels such as natural gas, coal, and oil. All of these resources are non-renewable, it can finish one day. In order to have a better world and a healthy environment for the future, people are trying to obtain energy from natural resources instead of non-renewable sources. In the lecture “Renewable energy resources” (2014), Mistry focuses on some advantages and disadvantages of renewable energy. There are different kind of resources that we can use in order to produce renewable energy. Solar power, wind power, hydroelectric power are just some of the kinds of renewable energy that might be the best options to obtain energy because they come from