Alternative Fuels

People rely more on technology today than any other period in human history. Technology has influenced almost every aspect of a person’s daily life, from basic needs to personal entertainment. Technology has improved many problems in human society but has also made civilization more dependent on the oil that powers it. Everything from transportation to home power runs on petroleum taken from the earth. This is a serious problem because petroleum is a nonrenewable resource, which means that the earth does not contain enough oil to sustain human consumption indefinitely. This is why I believe that an alternative source of fuel must be found in order for our way of life to continue.

In order for civilization to maintain its current way of life an alternative to oil must be found. A renewable resource, a resource that can be produced faster than it is consumed, is what society needs in order to maintain its thirst for energy. The situation may even require the use of several different renewable-resources in order to meet the world’s energy need, such as batteries to power cars and hydropower to supply homes with energy. The most difficult issue is finding a resource that can replace the versatile qualities of petroleum, with its ability to power everything from automobiles to massive cargo ships. Finding the right resource seems almost impossible, but taking a closer look at a few renewable resources may unlock the answer to the world’s energy crisis.

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Petroleum is buried deep underground, requiring drilling crews to find and extract it from the earth. Geothermal energy is attained in a similar fashion, and may be a suitable replacement for oil. Geothermal energy is found deep inside the earth in the form of water and steam that can be used to run generators to create electricity. This is accomplished in a variety of methods.

The first method for harnessing geothermal energy is called a binary-cycle plant. Water heated by the earth is brought to the surface through a pipe that comes in contact with another pipe filled with a low-boiling point fluid. Radiant heat from the water causes the fluid to expand into a gas, which rotates the turbines connected to electric generators.

The second method for attaining geothermal energy is called a dry steam plant. Steam trapped inside the earth under extreme pressure is released through a pipe that is connected to a turbine. The gas flows past the turbine and powers the generators inside the plant.

The final method for using geothermal energy is a flash steam plant. Hot water from the earth is released into a flash tank, where the some of the water evaporates, or flashes into steam. The steam is vented into a turbine to power the generators in the plant. The excess water is then pumped back into the ground to be heated again.

All of these methods pump the water back into the earth to be used again,