Geothermal Energy

As we scramble to find new ways to provide to the country with energy, geothermal energy has been gaining popularity among eco-conscience minds in the western United States.

Geothermal energy is a very simple concept. A pipeline drilled into the Earth where a steam/hot water reservoir resides. That steam flows up into a generator that then cranks a turbine to produce electricity from that motion. The cooled water is then pumped back into the reservoir where it is reheated and reused again to power the turbine. The picture below illustrates this:




Currently, geothermal power represents the third largest source of renewable energy in the country, producing about 2800 megawatts of power. This equates to roughly 2.8 million homes. The amount of homes that can be powered by geothermal energy seems endless as new incentives and government programs have allowed for the great expansion of this technology.

For instance, Nevada has unveil programs that would allow for nearly 25% of the state's energy needs to come from this source. According to Dan Fleischmann, "A combination of federal and state policies have propelled substantial new geothermal power development in Nevada," author of "Geothermal Resource Development in Nevada -- 2006." It is interesting to note that the only way this was possible was for corporations and government to work together, sharing the costs because they both see an independent future for our nation. [Source: Nevada to quadruple its geothermal power]

Imagine an entire state (if R&D continues at this rate) being supplied with nothing but renewable energy. A virtually emission free, environmentally friendly source that generates a load of power to meet our demand. This type of technology could create a number of jobs as well as save money in the long term since we would not have to buy as much oil, pay for the refineries and so forth. Speaking of oil and natural gas, the geothermal energy generated yearly by the United States equates to roughly 25 million barrels of oil, the amount consumed by the United States daily. [Source: Geothermal Energy Association]

If we continue investing in this technology, the western United States could be entirely self-sufficient. An MIT report cited in the article "Scaling Geothermal for reliable baseload power" says that, "a cumulative capacity of more than 100,000 MW from enhanced geothermal systems (EGS) can be achieved in the United States within 50 years with a modest, multiyear federal investment for R&D in several field projects in the United States." The articles also goes on to mention that geothermal plants have a huge baseload potential, leave virtually no footprint, and do not require storage, like refineries and such. It is a stable and practical alternative if investment is kept up steadily through the years.

Currently, only Nevada, California, Hawaii, Alaska an Utah are states to utilize this energy. But, several more are on the way. Projects in Oregon, Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, Idaho and Washington are said to be complete in the years to come. Once completed, the plants will double the amount of geothermal power generated by the United States to 6,000 MW, or 6 million homes. Karl Gawell, GEA executive director said that tax credits have been crucial to the new projects. [Source: 6 million American households to be powered by geothermal energy]

We can overcome out dependence on oil and gas and use Earth without harming it.