Geothermal energy is considered to be a power source today as it is a known energy source that can produce electricity. It is also a natural resource, which also makes it a renewable energy source. This means that the Earth does not have a finite supply of geothermal energy, but rather, geothermal energy is renewable, and thus environmentally friendly.
As its name implies, geothermal energy is energy that is obtained from a heat source. In fact, the source of heat used is heat from the Earth itself. It is obtained from a natural heat that is stored deep within the surface of the Earth. Geothermal energy is typically found near areas where volcanic activity has occurred, and it is this heat that provides the geothermal energy. It is not relevant as to how recent the activity has occurred, as geothermal energy is commonly found in areas that have experience volcanic activity, whether that activity was recent, or decades ago.
Geothermal energy occurs in the form of hot rock, hot liquid, or in steam form. Wells are drilled deep into the surface of the Earth to obtain the geothermal energy and bring the hot liquid or the steam to the Earth’s surface. Generators are then used to convert the hot product into electricity. The source of much of the heat is the slow decay of various radioactive elements (including uranium) deep inside the earth. Sometimes hot springs are used to obtain geothermal energy, however, there are not enough hot springs on Earth to supply our needs, and many of the pre-existing hot springs have already run dry in a relatively short period of time.
The advantages of geothermal energy are clear:
It can be used to replace fossil fuels in the production of electricity. This in turn reduces the amount of pollutants effecting the environment and contributing to global warming.
It is a renewable energy source that we will not run out of - it does not require importing and it is present on the Earth in large quantities.
Today, geothermal energy has been successfully developed in New Zealand and Iceland, and it is an excellent source of free energy with no real environmental problems, there is no pollution and no fuel costs.
