A General Look At Geothermal Energy And The Pros And Cons Of It

By Octavio Riedman

There is quite a lot of argument going on about geothermal energy but it definitely is probably the most affordable green energy solutions that is available. Geothermal energy is effective throughout every season and it can save lots on your energy costs. It's less expensive than solar panel technology plus its completely clean and sustainable.

The best benefit of geothermal energy is that it works extremely well in all varying weather conditions. It doesn't matter if it's ice cold or very hot outside the geothermal heat pump technique continually works (as opposed to solar power systems for instance for which you require the sun to shine for the solar cells to create something). Geothermal systems need nominal servicing and they're designed to work for decades. They can be scaled according to the demands. It's a wonderful solution for either non commercial or business use.

But what is geothermal energy anyway?

The word "geothermal" is of Ancient Greek origin, that means "heat from the planet". We primarily distinguish two kinds of geothermal energy. The first is geothermal heat that's made out of the magma of the earth, thanks to nuclear reactions. Down the middle of the planet earth conditions are so warm (~7200 °F or ~4000 °C) that stone turns into fluid which then gradually moves towards the surface of the earth. Typically, the temperature rises about 120 °F (~50 °C) with just about every mile (~1.6 km) towards the core of the planet. The other kind of geothermal heat essentially comes from the sun. Sunshine heats up the initial few meters of the surface area of our Planet and this may also be utilized.

So what is in it for me?

Geothermal energy is normally intended for heating or cooling. It can produce heating during winter and cooling is possible by using it throughout summertime. Additionally, it can help satisfy warm water requirements of a household. For sure one can find positives and negatives of geothermal energy, but the benefits typically outweigh the drawbacks.

Pros

Renewable

This is probably the most important advantage of geothermal energy. As opposed to common energy sources such as fossil fuels and coal, geothermal energy is part of the green energy solutions like wind power, solar, wave, and so on... Heat from the planet is just about unlimited. Consequently once a geothermal heat pump system is established, it is going to produce energy for many years, without the need to restore the source of the energy, since it is naturally replenished.

Alternative

Sustainability is definitely the other substantial benefit of geothermal energy. It does not make air pollution of any kind so it does not create long-term harm to our ecosystem. We can have the benefit of this "renewable" energy without having to undermine the capability of our children and grandchildren to fulfill their electricity requirements.

Could help you save a lot of money

Needless to say this can be one of the many pros if we look at it from a financial point of view. Over the long term it can help you save lots of money on our electricity costs. It is calculated that in more or less 5-8 years the original investment pays off so one can really enjoy "costless" energy afterwards (take note that this is with current techniques and prices, this will absolutely go down later on as a growing number of people will start choosing geothermal energy)

Free from harm

Using a geothermal heat pump is absolutely safe (in case set up properly by a skilled technician). There is no need to consider carbon-monoxide poisoning, it will not catch on fire, it cannot explode and it doesn't radiate. No routine servicing or yearly checks are obligatory.

Continual rate of energy

One of the main issues with replenishable energy technologies is usually that they are sort of unpredictable. The wind can easily stop blowing for a little bit, the sun's rays doesn't consistently shine, etcetera... Luckily this is not happening with geothermal energy. One could consistently rely on geothermal heat, because it's virtually continuous (around. 60 °F or 16 °C at the depth of 6 feet or 1.8 meters). The lower the pipes are in the earth the hotter it gets hence providing more geothermal energy.

Unlimited capability and quantity

It is usually totally obvious but geothermal energy has unlimited capability. It will never (at least not in the next couple of million years) run out and it is constantly obtainable.

Could be put into use for a wide variety of purposes

Geothermal places are located on all continents and can be utilised from business to household energy generation.

Disadvantages

Initial costs tend to be high

Presently this is more than likely the primary downside. It is more expensive to build a geothermal heat pump system than a traditional system.

Large area required

A reasonably good sized site is necessary to set up a geothermal heating system. Whenever a spacious yard or property is present this will not be such a big problem, but a geothermal heat pump system won't be possible in the back garden of a city house, at least not with horizontal piping. Vertical piping could also be used, but it is significantly more complicated and a lot more expensive to drill vertically rather than horizontally.

Electrical energy is still necessary

A heat pump needs to have electrical power to work. This is really a disadvantage of a heat pump and not geothermal energy itself, but it will have to be considered when deciding if a geothermal heat pump system is the solution.

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