| Geothermal Power as Alternative Energy | | | | research to find a resourceful area is too costly and |
| We should be doing everything possible to develop | | | | takes up too much time. Then there is more great |
| geothermal energy technologies. This is a largely | | | | expense needed to build a geothermal power plant, |
| untapped area of tremendous alternative energy | | | | and there is no promise of the plant turning a profit. |
| potential, as it simply taps the energy being naturally | | | | Some geothermal sites, once tapped, might be found |
| produced by the Earth herself. Vast amounts of | | | | to not produce a large enough amount of steam for |
| power are present below the surface crust on which | | | | the power plant to be viable or reliable. And we hear |
| we move and have our being. All we need do is tap | | | | from the environmentalists who worry that bringing |
| into it and harness it. | | | | up magma can bring up potentially harmful materials |
| At the Earths’ core, the temperature is 60 times | | | | along with it. |
| greater than that of water being boiled. The | | | | However, the great benefits of geothermal energy |
| tremendous heat creates pressures that exert | | | | would subsume these criticisms if only we would |
| themselves only a couple of miles below us, and | | | | explore it more. The fact that geothermal energy is |
| these pressures contain huge amounts of energy. | | | | merely the energy of the Earth herself means it |
| Superheated fluids in the form of magma, which we | | | | does not produce any pollutants. Geothermal energy |
| see the power and energy of whenever there is a | | | | is extremely efficient—the efforts needed to |
| volcanic eruption, await our tapping. | | | | channel it are minimal after a site is found and a plant |
| These fluids also trickle to the surface as steam and | | | | is set up. |
| emerge from vents. We can create our own vents, | | | | Geothermal plants, furthermore, do not need to be |
| and we can create out own containment chambers | | | | as large as electrical plants, giant dams, or atomic |
| for the magma and convert all of this energy into | | | | energy facilities—the environment would thus be |
| electricity to light and heat our homes. In the creation | | | | less disrupted. And, needless to say, it is an |
| of a geothermal power plant, a well would be dug | | | | alternative form of energy—using it would mean |
| where there is a good source of magma or heated | | | | we become that much less dependent on oil and coal. |
| fluid. Piping would be fitted down into the source, and | | | | Perhaps most importantly of all—we are never, |
| the fluids forced to the surface to produce the | | | | ever going to run out of geothermal energy, and it is |
| needed steam. The steam would turn a turbine | | | | not a commodity that would continuously become |
| engine, which would generate the electricity. | | | | more expensive in terms of real dollars as time |
| There are criticisms of geothermal energy tapping | | | | passes, since it is ubiquitous. Geothermal energy |
| which prevent its being implemented on the large | | | | would be, in the end, very cheap, after investigation |
| scale which it should be. Critics say that study and | | | | and power plant building costs are recouped. |