Just beneath your feet, lies an unimaginable amount of heat. Water in the Earth collects into very hot pools, known as geothermal reservoirs. Scientists have discovered that we can harness energy from this natural heat source and use it for our benefit. Electricity, agriculture, aquaculture are just the basic ways that geothermal energy is used. There are also many creative and helpful uses for it, such as in spas or thawing ice on roads. So what exactly is geothermal energy and how does it work? The project we have carried out answers these exact questions. This energy source is one of great worth, especially in our modern day.
The word Geothermal literally means “heat from the earth”. The Earth has 4 levels: crust, mantle, outer core, and inner core. The crust acts as an insulator for the immense heat coming from below which is an efficient universal resource. The next section, the mantle, begins at a depth of 1250 miles and is only semi-molten. The third down, the outer core, starts at 2500 miles and is completely liquid. Finally, the inner core is solid and is made of nickel and iron. It starts at a depth of 4,000 miles and is 9,000 degrees fahrenheit.
(This is a picture of a fumarole, one example of the earth’s thermal power).
There are many natural sources on the Earth that show the heat and power within the Earth: geysers, hot springs, fumaroles, along fault lines, volcanoes, and mud pots, and that’s not all. All of those are similar but they are all a different
When the water or lava comes up from the inner core from either a volcano or from a geyser, the temperature of the liquid it produces would be able to produce the same result we get from using fossil fuel to supply our energy. Geothermal energy could possibly be used to directly heat buildings or used to power turbines and thus generate electricity.
Wind energy, one of the oldest forms of renewable energy used by humans, is produced simply by harnessing the power of the wind with wind turbines and generating electricity. Geothermal energy is energy from the heat of the Earth, and is drawn from locations with naturally heated water like hot water reservoirs and geysers or areas deep within the Earth accessed by drilling (NREL, "Learning About Renewable Energy"). Hydroelectric power, in simplest terms, uses the power of water rushing downwards to rotate a propeller attached to a generator that in turn produces electricity (Perlman). Another form of renewable energy is biomass, such as wood, biofuel, and bio-waste, which is burned to produce energy; however, it is not clean energy.
Everyone uses a lot of power for lighting, heating, machines, movements, and so much more. All of that energy has to come from an energy supply. Some energy resources are renewable, while others are non-renewable. Energy has various forms and is a very essential part of our everyday lives.
Investigate and interpret examples of heat-related technologies and energy used in the past (e.g. domestic and industrial purposes)
With six active volcanoes in Costa Rica, and over 60 dormant or extinct, the country is able to produce about 14% of its electricity using geothermal energy. Although, with more government investment, this number will grow. By digging subterranean holes and releasing the hot water and steam underneath created by the heat magma and the Earth 's core, which can reach temperatures of about 7,600 degrees Fahrenheit, large turbines are spun by the steam released by the geothermal reservoirs, which
He or she cites a couple examples of geotheramal water usage in Oregon and New Mexico. Both of which used it as a heating source in various different applications. In Oregon, it was used to keep roads and sidewalks from freezing over during the winter season. Also in New Mexico, the same principle was used to to keep the soil beneath the corps from freezing which resulted in a longer growing season. These are great advantages that support his defence on geothermal energy usage.
Geothermal Energy: it means the use of heated water and stream to power the power station for turning steam and heated water to electricity but it's expensive
Biomass energy is a renewable energy source from living or recently living plant and animal materials which can be used as fuel. There are many ways in which we could produce this energy such as heat and steam. Also, instead of leaving waste in landfills, we’re reusing that waste and converting it into usable power. Pros: 1. Renewable. 2. Dependency on Fossil Fuels is Reduced 3. Protects air quality 4. Improves forest health. Cons: 1. Not 100% clean. 2. Requires a lot of water. 3. Not as efficient as fossil fuels.
Geothermal energy is heat from the earth that is a clean and reliable source. Geothermal energy is converted to energy by steam that drives a generator and creates electricity. Geothermal energy contributes 12.5% of Costa Rica's energy. Costa Rica uses volcanic geothermal energy which comes from under the earth's crust, by extracting and cooling the steam it powers turbines that make electricity. An advantage of geothermal energy is that it is constantly generated and does not rely on the
As he was going through the crust, he noticed that it was getting hotter and hotter. He knew that at the surface, the temperature is 0º Celsius. But when he was going deeper and deeper into the crust, he noticed that the temperatures were getting higher and higher. Temperatures started getting into the 200º Celsius range. “Boy, is it hot in here”, he said.
Hydrothermal vents are the result of seawater percolating down through fissures in the ocean crust in the vicinity of spreading centers or subduction zones places on Earth where two tectonic plates move away or towards one another in the divergent boundary. Hydrothermal vents are like geysers, or hot springs, on the ocean floor.
Our earth is in the sun’s habitable zone, which means it is in the perfect spot to receive all of the sun’s energy. This entails the light and heat which is very important for chemical reactions to occur. The sun is able to create so much energy because it is a massive fusion reaction. This is also known as nuclear fusion. Nuclear fusion releases a very large amount of energy which is in the form of light and heat. To get all of the energy that the sun holds to the earth involves some very important steps. In the end, this energy essentially comes from the sun’s layers. Each layer plays a very important role, which is making sure the energy can get where it needs to go and is able to support life. The core is the only part of the Sun that
Earth's Interior is made up of 4 layers. The Crust, Mantle, Outer and Inner Core. Earth's Density is 5.51 g/cm³. In the Crust it is made up of many different types of rocks. In Earth’s Mantle encloses around the iron and nickel core. The outer core of Earth, is also known as the liquid core is the part of the core that is molten iron and nickel that is around the inner solid core. The outer core is 5150 km beneath Earth’s surface. The temperature down there get around 3000 K - 4500 K (4,940 -7,640 F). The Inner core is a solid ball of iron and nickel. The inner cores radius is about 1,220 km. The
For example, since Earth is the largest planet in the terrestrial planets , heat is retained internally and stays tectonically and volcanically active. Since Earth is so massive in size it contains a deeper core which make the core trap in heat for a longer period of time. Through the presence of the chemical composition of radioactive decay steady heat is provided.
Wind, solar, geothermal, hydroelectric, and biomass provide so much benefit for our climate, health and our economy. As many reliable energy’s rise on demand and expense like oil, coal, natural gas and nonrenewable fossil fuel that draw on limited resources which will eventually diminish. Looking at all the power plants and the millions of cars that exist in the streets today and many more technologies and industries that are polluting the air it is safe to say we may be going the wrong way into saving the world our kids will grow into. People and many utilities need to focus on the positive outcome of renewable energy. Like the good it brings on stable energy price, improvements on public health as well as the prevention of global warming discharge, jobs and other economic benefits.