We have always needed useful energy resources that could make our daily lives more comfortable. With technology getting advanced everyday machines are being produced that could give us a hand in our daily chores. To make these work machines work, we need energy sources to provide them the power to operate. We have been using non- renewable energy sources such as fossil fuels to generate electricity, move automobiles, etc. Unfortunately, we failed to realize that these sources wouldn’t last for long, and we would soon require more reliable sources.
With advance research and studies, we came up with renewable energy sources that could work in the same way as fossil fuels work and would be safer to use. They wouldn’t harm the environment much and will in abundance for us to use. Hydropower, solar power, wind energy, and geothermal energy are some sources that work great for our needs.
What is geothermal energy and is it renewable?
Geothermal energy is formed by the molten and heated interiors of the earth, which are positioned at the planet’s core. The molten materials have a very high temperature and can provide a large amount of energy for various purposes.
Like any other renewable source of energy, geothermal energy is extracted from the earth itself through machinery. Geothermal energy is present in the core of the earth in the form of heat and is extracted by us to work as a fuel for various purposes. This heat present inside the earth is not produced by the Sun. It is a renewable source of energy as its almost unlimited amount of heat present in the earth’s core. We would be able to utilize a lot of this source for a long time as the heat present inside the planet would last for a long time to come.
What is the source of geothermal energy and what type of energy is geothermal energy?
Geothermal energy, as has been mentioned above, comes from the inside of the earth. This energy is produced in the earth’s core due to the molten interiors. The heat generated by these molten rocks and fluids provides the needed energy which can be harnessed to pump electricity, etc. The earth’s interior consists of radioactive materials which sometimes go through fission or radioactive decay and create a healing effect on the surroundings. This leads to the creation of some hot spots that give rise to geothermal energy.
Geothermal energy is present in an abundant amount in the earth’s core. Due to this fact, it is a renewable source of energy that can be used in large amounts. This makes sure that it has a bright future and would be used for various purposes for many generations to come.
What is geothermal energy used for?
There are various vital uses of geothermal energy that are not very popular, but one should know about it.
Generation of electricity:
For this process to work, massive turbines and generators are used that connect to pumps and bring out the energy present inside the earth. The heat energy from down below is used to convert water into steam. The purpose of the steam is to move turbines, which ultimately produce high amounts of electricity. This process is environmentally friendly and is not very difficult to execute.
A good read for you: Everything You Need to Know About Biomass Energy
Heat cold buildings:
During extreme winter months, to heat the inner temperature of a house or a building, instead of using a central heating system, geothermal energy is used. Pipelines are connected to the bigger pipelines that are ultimately connected to the hot spots that are made inside the earth’s crust. Due to this, the heat gets transferred to the buildings and brings up the temperature ultimately.
Read next: 4 Renewable Forms of Energy to Use in Your Home
The energy inside the molten earth can be used to power generators and pumps that work on a large scale. The molten core of the planet is a storage of energy that can be used to heat cool buildings if need be.
Daily chores:
Geothermal energy acts as the best replacement for geysers and electrical water heaters. They can be used to heat water at little cost in the long run. This water can be used for daily chores such as bathing, washing, cooking, etc.
What is the cost of geothermal energy?
Considering the amount of money we spend on non-renewable energy sources such as fossil fuels, generating geothermal power doesn’t cost a lot, especially in the long run. An entire power plant has to be built that would have all the required machinery to generate geothermal power. An average power plant costs about $0.01-$0.03 every KWH. This cost can vary according to the type of geysers and the time when it is being produced.
To estimate costs in such cases depends on the time when the energy is generated. For instance, when geothermal energy is in demand, like in winter months, the generation could be costly. In the season of low demand, the production of geothermal energy could be more profitable.
What is good about geothermal energy?
There are various advantages of using geothermal energy instead of going for fossil fuels.
Abundance:
To start with, this type of energy is present in abundance in the earth’s core and is a renewable form of energy. It can be produced anywhere on earth. You just have to build a power plant over any hotspots inside the earth’s crust, and you would be able to extract a lot of energy under a short while.
Promised profits:
With fossil fuels depleting in quantity, people have no option but to switch to renewable energy sources such as geothermal energy. As soon as more methods of generating and using this energy will come up, its requirement would increase and would bring you a lot of profit for sure.
Various uses:
Geothermal energy has several purposes. From industrial applications like electricity generation to heating water for household uses, geothermal energy comes as a handy source of energy.
What is a disadvantage of geothermal energy?
Like any other energy source, renewable or non-renewable, geothermal energy has various geothermal energy pros and cons.
Harmful emissions:
When geothermal energy is generated, the emissions that are produced during the production get mixed with the atmosphere by traveling to the surface and then to the atmosphere. This impacts the environment and sometimes creates problems like being hard to breathe.
Earth instability:
Power plants that used to generate geothermal energy are enormous. The construction of such power plants can cause land deformation and can affect land stability as well, which may erode the soil and make the ground nearby weak and unrested.
What type of energy is geothermal? What percentage of geothermal energy does the U.S. use?
Geothermal energy is in abundance inside the earth’s crust. This abundance of heat energy makes it a renewable and sustainable form of energy. This energy is often best used as power for various power plants and to provide heat to large structures.
Out of all the geothermal energy produced in the United States, only 0.4% of it is used in the production of electricity. With the efficient use and production of this renewable energy, costs can be saved, and fossil fuels can be conserved.
The future of geothermal energy?
With geothermal energy present in so much abundance inside the earth, this can be a beneficial source of energy for future generations. It doesn’t harm the environment as much as other forms of energy generation and is reliable as well. Like all the other renewable resources such as hydro, solar, and wind, geothermal energy has a very bright future. It is considered to be a critical source of power and would be used in more efficient ways in the future due to advanced and cheaper technology. Scientists are working on more ways through which this source of energy can be and make our lives even more comfortable.
History of geothermal energy
Geothermal energy is no new concept on our planet. According to history, geothermal energy was first used about 10,000 years ago by Paleo-Indians in North American. They had discovered some sources of this energy, such as Hot springs and natural geysers. They started using them to go through various daily chores such as bathing, washing, cooking, etc. The next use of heat energy from the inside of the earth occurred in Italy.
Example of geothermal energy
Many examples can be found on the face of the earth for geothermal energy. There are some wonders of nature that work on the scorching temperature in the coldest of the weather. Hot springs are one of the biggest of these wonders. They are usually found in cold climates such as Iceland, Alaska, etc. Hot spring can be a natural example of geothermal energy. They have been in use for over 10,000 years. Paleo-Indians used to make use of these sources for various purposes, such as cooking, bathing, and washing.
How is geothermal energy generated and related questions
Power plants of massive sizes are used to generate geothermal energy. They can be placed anywhere around the world as the hot spots created by the earth’s interiors are created almost everywhere. All that is required is connecting the power plants to the inside of the earth’s crust so that energy flow is uninterrupted. The heat rising from the inside of the earth would be used to convert the water kept into steam. This steam will increase further and in high amounts and give power to turbines to move. This movement of the turbines will generate the required electricity.
You would love to read also: A Complete Guide On Geothermal Power Plants
Hotspots of geothermal energy inside the earth act as reservoirs for power, and they can be used to generate electricity whenever need be.
What is an example of geothermal energy?
A natural and working example of geothermal energy is hot springs that have been used for more than 10,000 years for cooking, bathing, and cleaning purposes.
What is the energy source of geothermal energy?
The radioactive elements present deep inside the earth’s core form, the energy source of geothermal energy. They produce heat in large amounts and create hot spots.
What is the cost of using geothermal energy?
Geothermal energy can be used on an average cost of $0.01 to $0.03 every Kilowatt Hour. This cost highly depends on the type of geothermal heat pump being used and the time of year.
What about geothermal energy for homes?
Tunnels are dug to bring geothermal energy to homes, which can be used to heat the house during cold weather.
What is geothermal energy for kids?
Geothermal energy is an alternative energy source that can be used for various purposes, such as bathing, cooking, and cleaning. This energy is produced from the inside the earth.
What is geothermal energy? How is it used?
Geothermal energy is produced from the molten materials present inside the earth. It is used to create electricity and heat buildings during cold weather.
What is the ultimate source of geothermal energy?
Geothermal energy is produced by the heat emitted by the molten materials present in the core of the earth.
What is geothermal energy? What are its advantages and disadvantages?
The energy produced from the core of the earth is geothermal energy.
The advantages and disadvantages of geothermal energy are that it is a renewable form of energy, but it emits harmful gases to the atmosphere.
Final words
With geothermal energy getting popular day by day, it is essential to know more about this source of energy. For efficient execution of our daily chores, using such energy sources could prove beneficial in the long run, even on an individual level. Moreover, going for such an option is going to help save the environment and conserve non-renewable sources for future generations as well.