Geothermal energy is a renewable, environmentally friendly, and cost-effective energy solution. It accounts for 1% of global energy production, but is higher in some regions like Iceland and the Philippines. The US is the world’s largest producer of geothermal energy. Geothermal plants have low emissions and land use requirements, and are scalable. The heat source from within the Earth is enormous compared to the amount used in power generation, making it a reliable source of energy.
Geothermal energy is the energy generated by the heat stored in the Earth’s subsoil. Although not feasible in all locations, where it is present it is considered one of the most environmentally friendly and cost-effective energy solutions in the long run. It is one of the few energy solutions considered by environmentally sensitive advocates as an alternative to fossil fuels, alongside other renewable sources such as wind power, tidal power, solar power, and occasionally hydroelectricity.
Currently, geothermal energy accounts for about 1% of the world’s total energy production, although this number is significantly higher in some regions. In Iceland, for example, over 19% of total electricity comes from geothermal energy and 87% of all domestic heating comes from geothermal energy. Due to the abundance of geothermal energy, Iceland hopes to be the first nation to be completely independent of fossil fuels. The Philippines also makes extensive use of geothermal energy, with some accounts accounting for more than 27% of all electricity generated from geothermal sources.
The United States, while not a huge producer of geothermal energy relative to total energy production, is still the world’s largest producer of geothermal energy and has the largest dry steam field in the world, at The Geyser in California. The geysers alone have a capacity of 1360 megawatts (MW), while the fields around the Salton Sea have another 570 MW of capacity. Geothermal energy continues to be a growing area in the United States, largely as more emphasis is placed on developing alternatives to traditional fossil fuels.
From an environmental standpoint, it’s hard to find a more attractive option than geothermal energy. Because the system is essentially a closed loop, there are virtually no emissions, making it arguably the cleanest choice for power generation. While other sources of energy, such as solar panels, are also emission-free, the treatments used in the production of solar panels are far more degrading to the environment than building a geothermal plant to supply a comparable amount of energy.
From a land use perspective, geothermal energy is also an incredibly positive source of energy. While coal-fired plants require about nineteen acres per MW and nuclear plants require five to ten acres per MW, geothermal plants may use only one acre per MW and rarely more than eight acres per MW. Unlike many other plants, they are also very scalable, allowing you to build small plants to supply geothermal energy to rural areas and to build huge plants for metropolitan areas.
Geothermal energy is also largely renewable, as the heat sink from within the Earth is enormous compared to the amount used in power generation, albeit greatly increased. Unlike other renewable sources such as solar panels or wind turbines, geothermal energy is also very reliable. Since the energy source is the heat of the Earth itself, which fluctuates very little, energy is always available. This means that a geothermal plant can operate at approximately 90% capacity year-round, without experiencing fluctuations based on sunlight or seasonal wind patterns that plague other alternative sources.
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