Unit 6 Debating Geothermal Energy

Volcanoes are wondrous formations on the earth. Humans are fascinated by them but are often very cautious about volcanoes. They see them as explosive, lava spewing mountains often causing natural disasters. These are just some of the effects of a volcano but plus side to it is that its energy can be harnessed. Energy that can be used from a volcano is Geothermal Energy. It is a clean, renewable energy which uses the steam produced from vents and hot springs near volcanoes. In this paper I am going to prove why Geothermal Energy is good for the environment and the society. Firstly I am going to discuss what geothermal energy is. Secondly, I will discuss the benefits of geothermal energy to the environment. Thirdly I am going to show how geothermal energy is beneficial to the society around its source. Lastly I will compare geothermal energy to other energy sources and show why geothermal energy is the way to go.

It can produce greenhouse gas emissions, unlike its competitors. So, should I really support an energy production method that directly contradicts my stance. Then again, promoting energy diversity is a number one goal in my opinion, and geothermal energy only accounts for less than three percent of B.C’s energy production.

It is a renewable energy after the heat is done it will deposit back to the ground. It is good that the energy is renewable because it will last for years. Another advantage is that the geothermal energy will not cause harm to the environment because this energy is non-polluting. Geothermal is also resourceful in your homes as well,if you needed any heating or cooling somewhere in your house. Lastly, geothermal will provide more jobs for people over in 20 countries so this will help improve the economy.

To state it directly, nuclear power is the use of nuclear processes to create heat and energy. This energy that comes from exothermic nuclear processes can be converted into radiation or power. There are two ways to produce nuclear power- by fission or fusion. Fission is splitting atoms of a radioactive element such as a uranium isotope. The radioactive elements used for fission can be found in the actinide section of the periodic table (Figure 1 below ↓). Fusion is the process of joining isotopes of hydrogen (which is exactly what the sun does).

There are plenty of intriguing facts centered upon geothermal energy. For thousands of years, geothermal energy has been used in some countries for heating and cooking (“Geothermal Energy Info” 2). These underground systems being used contain water with teperatures that can rise above 200 degrees Celsius (430 degrees Fahrenheit) (“How Geothermal Energy Works” 2). Italy used geothermal energy thousands of years ago and is currently the fourth largest producer of geothermal

Energy from the Earth What could be more natural or plentiful? The source of geothermal power is the heat contained inside the Earth; heat so intense that it creates molten magma. There are a few different types of geothermal energy that can be tapped. "Some geothermal systems are formed when hot magma near the surface (1,500 to 10,000 meters deep) directly heats groundwater." The heat generated from these hot spots flows outward toward the surface, manifesting as volcanoes, geysers, and hot springs . Naturally-occurring hot water and steam can be tapped by energy conversion technology to generate electricity or to produce hot water for direct use. "Other geothermal systems are formed even when no magma is nearby as magma heats rocks which in turn heat deeply-circulating groundwater." In order to maximize the energy gleaned from these so-called "hot dry rocks," geothermal facilities will often fracture the hot rocks and pump water into and from them in order to use the heated water to generate electricity.

[Statement of Facts] Nuclear energy is a misunderstood topic due to the widespread negative stigma of it being associated with men in orange hazmat suits dealing with radioactive chemicals, however, it is a relatively easy process to understand. Nuclear energy goes under the chemical process known as nuclear fission, where an atom becomes split into two elements: krypton and barium. This splitting causes an additional neutron to split, resulting in a chain reaction. This chain reaction provides an abundance of energy, in a dense form. This whole process is done in fuel rods, which are submerged in water. Due to this chemical process, the water is heated and emits steam, which creates pressure enabling the turbines to move. This movement converts the chemical energy to electrical energy, thus providing

The high temperature geothermal resources - 220 degrees Celsius and up - are predominantly found in volcanic regions and island chains. The moderate to low temperature resources are found on all continents. The high temperature are almost always used for power production while most of the low temperature resources are used for direct heating purposes or agriculture and aquaculture.

Geothermal energy is the heat from the Earth. It's clean and sustainable. Resources of geothermal energy range from the shallow ground to hot water and hot rock found a few miles beneath the Earth's surface, and down even deeper to the extremely high temperatures of molten rock called magma. We can also use geothermal energy to make electricity. A geothermal power plant works by tapping into steam or hot water reservoirs underground; the heat is used to drive an electrical generator. Most geothermal plants are located in the western United States, where hot water reservoirs are common. History says that the first use of geothermal energy occurred more than 10,000 years ago in North America by American Paleo- Indians. People used water from hot springs for cooking, bathing and cleaning. The first industrial use of geothermal energy began near Pisa, Italy in late 18th century. Steam coming from natural vents (and from drilled holes) was used to extract boric acid from the hot pools that are now known as the Larderello Fields

Biomass is the organic matter in plants which can be burned to create energy. Forms of biomass include wood, charcoal, farm crops, and different forms of waste. Some biomass can be burned directly, while others are converted to methane gas or ethanol which can be burned or used to power different things such as vehicles. Chiras states that Biomass is considered renewable, but it only is to a certain point, it cannot be used faster than it is produced to avoid depleting the resource (2016). Biomass can also be used in a variety of ways to produce energy such as burning it directly, converting it to ethanol, or converting it to natural gas. There are many pros and cons of using biomass over fossil fuels to produce energy. Biomass is great for undeveloped countries where they can’t afford other alternative energy sources because they can reduce pollution by not using fossil fuels. One of the most significant pros of biomass as it relates directly to humans everyday life is that ethanol created from biomass costs roughly 60 cents per gallon, and dropping, which means fuel for vehicles can be produced much cheaper than fuel made completely from fossil fuels (Chiras, 2016). Not only is this form of fuel cheaper, it is also cleaner and does not release as many pollutants into the atmosphere. Although biomass is relatively clean in comparison to fossil fuels, it can release many pollutants into the air such as dioxins and creosote (Chiras, 2016). Biomass can also lead to an

Besides that, it is not environmental friendly and might lead to serious affect for our health (Mondal, 2015). Furthermore, they can be re-generated in a short period of time as well as it is existent in the form of fossil fuels, natural gas oil and coal (Mondal, 2015). The comparison of advantages and disadvantages between renewable sources and non-renewable sources is shown in Table 4.

Geothermal energy is generally considered environmentally friendly and does not cause significant amounts of pollution.

Throughout history, society has been looking for ways to increase renewable energy to provide better resources to replace fossil fuels to reduce carbon footprints. The earth is a great source of natural energy therefore thermal energy is one of the most abundant resources. There are many types of renewable energy, such as sunlight, wind, rain, tides, waves, and geothermal heat. Geothermal heat renewable energy converts natural heat into electricity resources. Geothermal energy represents the inner heat of the earth’s core. Geothermal energy is mainly produced by decays of radioactive elements in the mantle and the center of the earth’s layers. Heat is constantly flowing from the Earth center to the surface creating a great source of natural energy. These geothermal power plants drill wells into geothermal tanks to transfer hot water and steam from the earth’s core to the surface. One great advantage of geothermal energy is that using the resources of water and steam, you are able to reuse and pump back the supplies into the ground. Another perk of using geothermal energy is that the energy is clean. Geothermal energy is environmental friendly because the power plants don’t use fossil fuels.

Over the past years, gasoline and electricity have been the leading energy resources. The search for an alternative source of energy has become a complicated problem for scientists and an economic dilemma for America's public. Scientists have been trying to recognize geothermal energy as the next leading source of energy. In this research paper, I account for the inexpensive costs and different methods of gathering the geothermal energy of America. Geothermal energy is a renewable energy resource which can heat and cool buildings. Although there are some by-products, using a particular type of system can help stop their emission. In conclusion, the use of geothermal energy

Hydroelectric energy: Pros- it’s renewable, which means that we cannot use it up, but it is a limited power plants. They are also very reliable; flexible which means it can adjust to water flow or output of electricity Cons- it’s too expensive, drought, and limited reservoirs (power plants), but they do not require a lot of workers, they say it’s about 30 major power plants that’s expected to generate more than 2.00 MW under the construction. Oil: Pros- No other energy source can move vehicles with greater speed at longer distances than oil, it’s easy to handle, store and handle, also its easier to get from the ground than coal. Cons- it pollutes the atmosphere, oil spills onshore and in the ocean, drilling for oil may affect ocean and terrestrial habitats. What is the problem with nuclear waste, and what is Yucca Mountain? Well, the problem with nuclear waste is that its sometimes called spent fuel which is dangerously radioactive, and stays for about a thousand years. When it is