Alternative Energy Information on Geothermal Geothermal energy is

Alternative Energy

Information on Geothermal: Geothermal energy is thermal energy (heat) that is generated and stored in the earth. This energy comes from the earth’s internal heat. This heat comes from earth’s inner crust. Geothermal energy can be found just under the soil, to extremely deep down under the surface. A geothermal pump system will take the earth’s hot temperatures to heat a whole home! To produce Geothermal electricity, you need to drill a well into the surface of the earth. Once it is drilled, we can then tap into steam and very hot water. This can then run turbines that produce electricity.

Pros - Almost zero emissions - No Carbon emissions - No fuel required (for things like mining and transportation) - Smallest footprint on the land, of any energy source - Limitless supply - reliable and simple - Process can be done underground

Cons - Not easy to find a prime location - Prime locations are usually far away from humanity - Lose electricity when it is shipped and transported - Uses water in the process (one plant requires 1, 700 to 4, 000 gallons) - Sulfur and Silica emissions - costs a lot of money to construct - Drilling through different rock can be difficult

Where is it used? This energy source is used in all these places United States, Philippines, Indonesia, Mexico, Italy, New Zealand, Iceland, Japan, El Salvador, and Kenya. With United States using the most and Kenya using the least.

Is this viable? I believe this form of energy is highly viable. It has showed to produce vast amounts of energy while not harming the environment as much as other energy sources. The only problem is cost, but when you're running out of a renewable energy source, money is no problem. It has been said that when geothermal technology has improved, (probably by the year 2050) it can produce mass amounts of electricity. So much electricity, that it could replace 100 coal power plants, with practically no emissions. It does produce a carbon footprint, but still produces fewer emissions than a coal power plant. This energy source is a renewable source of energy and is very viable.

Long Term Outcome: Geothermal energy is a long term energy source. The long term costs are very low. A geothermal plant can operate continuously. Geothermal energy can be a great alternative to coal power plants, that have a big environmental footprint and is non-renewable. The northwest United States can produce enough geothermal energy to run two millions homes. This energy source can grow much more than what it is today. It has the ability to be a long term solution, to other energy sources.

My opinion: I believe that Geothermal is the greatest alternative energy option there is. Geothermal is a Renewable energy source that can provide for the world. We can use the Earth’s natural heat to make energy! The set up is expensive, but after that running costs of electricity are reasonable. There is a low risk, high reward with this energy source. There are problems with the carbon footprint, water usage, and sulfur emissions. Overall Geothermal is still better for the environment than a coal power plant. Geothermal can be the next viable energy source, for years to come.

Videos: How Geothermal energy is made! https: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=9 q. I 6 u. Rf. ARj. E

Information on Nuclear: Nuclear energy is energy that comes from a atom. These atom can be transferred into energy. An atom’s nucleus can be split apart. When the nucleus is split apart, there is a huge release in energy. This energy can be harnessed into electricity. This is also how atomic bombs are made. The atoms they split apart are typically Uranium atoms. Nuclear energy today provides 11% of the world’s electricity.

Pros - Low Carbon dioxide (other greenhouse gasses) emissions - Low operating costs - Nuclear energy is well known and the technology is developed - High power generator, can power city’s and industrial sites

Cons - High costs of construction for radiation concealment and safety procedures - A lot of risk with an accident - There is also unknown risks - Takes a long time for construction - Terrorists will target Nuclear Power plants - There is other energy sources that are more efficient, less costly, and more viable - Uranium is not infinite, just like coal or natural gas - Uranium is expensive to mine - Nuclear waste can last up to 200 -500 years - There is not a lot of waste storage sites in North america - Nuclear radiation is extremely dangerous!

Where is it used? Over 31 countries depend on nuclear energy for their electricity. The top ten users are Sweden, United Kingdom, Ukraine, Canada, China, Germany, South Korea, Russia, France, and the United States. With Sweden using the least and United States using the most. All of these countries use nuclear energy to supply 2 to 75% of their electricity.

Is this viable? Economically, Nuclear energy is terrible. It costs two to four times as much burning coal to produce energy. Setting up nuclear power plants is also extremely expensive. Although, nuclear energy is one of the least air polluting energy sources there is. Nuclear energy does not have big environmental footprint. Less land is used with the nuclear power plant. This energy source does not produce gasses that will contribute to the enhanced greenhouse effect. There are safety factors with nuclear energy, as we saw with Chernobyl. Nuclear energy is not renewable. The process involves using uranium atoms to produce energy, and uranium is a non-renewable resource. Overall I do not think this energy source is viable. There is just too many bad things that outweigh the good.

Long Term Outcome: Consider Nuclear energy as more of a short term outcome. This is unaffordable and there are other energy solutions that are affordable and just as good. Nuclear waste is extremely dangerous and we do not know of ways to properly dispose it. The United States tried to build a massive storage container in a mountain in Nevada. This storage container was said to not leak for over 10, 000 years. Before it was actually used, it was deemed unacceptable and will leak. Uranium resources are non-renewable and will eventually run out. Instead we should go to a more reliable energy source that can be a long term solution.

My Opinion: I believe that nuclear energy is a bad energy source and that we should invest in other energy sources that are better. The only really good thing about Nuclear energy is its relatively good environmental footprint. It has many bad things including safety precautions. This energy source is not affordable to all people. It is a non-renewable resource, and mining for uranium is expensive. This can be open for terrorist attacks which can devastate a country. There is many more reliable, viable, safer, and less costly energy solutions than this. We should spend more of our time looking into better and more efficient energy sources.

Videos: How nuclear energy works: https: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=VJf. Ib. BDR 3 e 8