Geothermal Energy

Geothermal Energy

Summer Teeters

GLG/220

Dr. Allen Fronabarger

November 16, 2015

Geothermal Energy

         The population of the world is growing at an alarming rate.  “Experts believe there are more than 7 billion people in the world today.  In terms of net gain, we are adding over 200,000 people to this planet every day.  That equals over 70 million more people every year” (World Population Balance, 2015).  With so many people using nonrenewable energy resources, our need to find alternative energy sources is now greater than ever.   Although not widely known by the general population, geothermal energy is the third largest source of renewable energy in the United States, following hydropower and biomass (Hegar, 2015).  

        According to the U.S. Department of Energy (2015), “Geothermal energy is heat derived below the Earth’s surface which can be harnessed to generate clean, renewable energy.”  This energy comes from the Earth’s interior, produced by the radioactive decay of uranium, thorium, and other radioactive isotopes, as well as the slow escape of heat from Earth’s core.  This is the energy that powers plate tectonics and volcanic eruptions.  “For the most part, the geothermal energy used by humans comes from hydrothermal reservoirs, underground systems of hot water or steam that circulate in fractured or porous rock” (Murck, Skinner, & Mackenzie, 2012, pg.511).  This vital, clean energy resource supplies renewable power around the clock and emits little or no greenhouse gases – all while requiring a small environmental footprint to develop.

        Despite being one of the “greenest” alternative energy resources we have available to us today, geothermal power does not come without its limitations.  One of the major disadvantages that we face with geothermal energy is its availability.  “This intense energy source is often only available in countries where geothermal activity is at its peak” (Bratley, 2013).  And although it requires a small environmental footprint to develop, a significant monetary investment is often required prior to building a geothermal power station.  One of the most dangerous and concerning disadvantages to geothermal energy is that there is always the potential that harmful gases will be released into the air.  “Toxic gases exist deep beneath the ground in various regions and can sometimes be released via the infrastructure used by geothermal power stations” (Bratley, 2013).  Most, if not all, geothermal power stations are equipped to handle such emergencies though.  

According to the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts, Glenn Hegar (2015), “As of 2012, 146 new geothermal energy projects were under development in the United States, which will provide an additional 5,102 MW of electric power.”  Texas has thousands of wells that have high enough temperatures for the possible development of geo-pressured and geothermal resources.  Geothermal energy can be generated anywhere in the state.  However, the biggest technical issue facing geothermal development is determining where and how companies get to and utilize them.