Green, Renewable Power-Geothermal Energy

Green power is any source of energy that is clean, environmentally friendly, and renewable. There are a few sources of green power in nature, and one with many uses that not many people know a lot about is geothermal energy. However, it has been used for a long time. Thousands of years ago, Native Americans harnessed geothermal energy from hot springs for medicinal use and cooking.

Geothermal energy comes from within the earth. There is ample heat energy inherent in our planet. At the Earth’s core, 4,000 miles down, temperatures can reach higher than 9,000 degrees F. One of the most plentiful resources on our planet is water. Geothermal energy is the energy used to heat water, which requires high temperatures. Wells can be drilled in geothermal reservoirs to tap hot water from the earth and bring it to the surface. Research is done by geologists to locate pockets of underground geothermal energy. When steam or hot water reaches the earth’s surface through injection wells, the energy can be used to produce electricity or heat power that won’t pollute the environment.

Even though geothermal energy is far from new, it is becoming more popular because of the trend to go green and use renewable power to reduce pollution, save money, and reduce dependence on traditional fossil fuels. Hot water used to transfer geothermal energy can be reused over and over, making it renewable and clean. There are absolutely no greenhouse gas emissions, making the energy 100% eco-friendly.

As an effective generator of electricity, geothermal power is channeled in a few different ways. At flashed-steam plants, steam from flash boiled water is used for turning turbines. Dry steam plants rely on natural steam from underground reserves to create electricity. At binary geothermal power plants, hot water is utilized to heat another liquid, which is vaporized. The process causes turbines to turn and creates electricity. Hybrid power plants use a combination of the binary and flash techniques together.

There are many other uses for geothermal energy, such as warming fishing farms, drying fruits or vegetables, drying wood or wool, heating roads and sidewalks, or getting gold and silver out of ore. However, the most popular use of the renewable source is for residential home heating through direct use district heating systems or by using a geothermal heat pump.

District heating systems have been used for decades to heat buildings. It works by piping hot water just under the earth’s surface directly into buildings for heat. Geothermal heat pumps use constant temperatures in the upper 10 feet of the Earth’s surface (50 to 60 degrees F. year round) to heat and cool buildings. Heat or coolness is simply transferred from the ground or groundwater into buildings to offset cold or hot temperatures outside. Geothermal heat pumps are quickly replacing traditional heating and cooling systems because of their efficiency, cost effectiveness, and benefits to the environment.

Geothermal energy has been used for such a long time for good reason. It continues to hold great promise for a wide variety of uses that have little or no impact on the environment. As a green power source to create electricity and heat and cool buildings, it would seem our amazing planet was created to be self sustaining.