Geothermal energy can be energy that is actually generated with the Planet's individual heating power. You will perhaps recall from six grade science course the interior of the World, that is filled with magma, warms until unbelievably hot levels, actually it gets warmer versus sun down there! Oftentimes this heat can make its way up to the crust of the earth in the form of volcanoes and can additionally reveal itself in by means of geysers and fumaroles like those in Yellowstone National Park.
Although it might appear to be this kind of heating could be unpredictable and uneasy to manage, this is actually not true. In fact, similar to wells for oil, wells can be drilled down into the floor to create up steam and warm water that can be used for heating or producing energy.
Geothermal energy can be used since antiquity. Native Americans, ancient Romans and even china made use of hot mineral Springs for heating, cooking and even bathing in. Today there's a couple of types of geothermal technologies.
A geothermal heat pump utilizes the consistent temperature within the upper 10 feet of the Earth's crust. Here, the temperature is consistently between 50 and 60F. Pipes can be buried at this depth as well as in winter heat from the warmer ground can be pumped into an adjacent building then in summer the cooler air could be pumped in to cool it. This involves the pipes, obviously a heat pump plus some duct work.
In another application, warm water that pools close to the Earth's surface can be pumped into buildings and used for heating purposes. Additionally, wells can be drilled into hard rock and the resulting heat or steam can be used to generate power.
One of the good things about geothermal energy is that it has very little effect on environmental surroundings. Scientists believe that it is sustainable and renewable because the Earth is continually heating. Geothermal power plants have very low emissions and geothermal heat pumps are incredibly energy-efficient.
However there are several disadvantages to geothermal power. The fluid itself is quite corrosive and, when compared to a steam boiler, is a reduced temperature so it can be used efficiently and quickly. Also geothermal water can contain arsenic, mercury along with other toxic chemicals in minute traces so making sure that the water is not disposed of in our rivers and streams is a must.
There are geothermal sites and power plants today, in fact California has 33 areas that use geothermal energy and also the geysers dry dream reservoir has been producing electricity since 1960. However, there are several concerns these geothermal areas can cool off because of overuse since there is only a lot energy that could be stored in any one area of the earth. This brings up the question of whether geothermal energy is really renewable or not and whether we ought to put lots of resources into researching it's use.
Although it might appear to be this kind of heating could be unpredictable and uneasy to manage, this is actually not true. In fact, similar to wells for oil, wells can be drilled down into the floor to create up steam and warm water that can be used for heating or producing energy.
Geothermal energy can be used since antiquity. Native Americans, ancient Romans and even china made use of hot mineral Springs for heating, cooking and even bathing in. Today there's a couple of types of geothermal technologies.
A geothermal heat pump utilizes the consistent temperature within the upper 10 feet of the Earth's crust. Here, the temperature is consistently between 50 and 60F. Pipes can be buried at this depth as well as in winter heat from the warmer ground can be pumped into an adjacent building then in summer the cooler air could be pumped in to cool it. This involves the pipes, obviously a heat pump plus some duct work.
In another application, warm water that pools close to the Earth's surface can be pumped into buildings and used for heating purposes. Additionally, wells can be drilled into hard rock and the resulting heat or steam can be used to generate power.
One of the good things about geothermal energy is that it has very little effect on environmental surroundings. Scientists believe that it is sustainable and renewable because the Earth is continually heating. Geothermal power plants have very low emissions and geothermal heat pumps are incredibly energy-efficient.
However there are several disadvantages to geothermal power. The fluid itself is quite corrosive and, when compared to a steam boiler, is a reduced temperature so it can be used efficiently and quickly. Also geothermal water can contain arsenic, mercury along with other toxic chemicals in minute traces so making sure that the water is not disposed of in our rivers and streams is a must.
There are geothermal sites and power plants today, in fact California has 33 areas that use geothermal energy and also the geysers dry dream reservoir has been producing electricity since 1960. However, there are several concerns these geothermal areas can cool off because of overuse since there is only a lot energy that could be stored in any one area of the earth. This brings up the question of whether geothermal energy is really renewable or not and whether we ought to put lots of resources into researching it's use.
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