Our Research- Outline Notes
I. What is Geothermal Energy?
A. Geothermal energy is energy gained from the heat inside the Earth like the mantle and the core (“Geothermal Energy”).
1. Geothermal energy is often tapped through drilling wells into bedrock and allowing the steam and hot water to flow up near the surface. Generally, the hot water and steam derived are channeled back into the subsurface to close the circuit and add pressure for extraction (“Geothermal Energy”).
2. Earth’s internal heat is due to the residual heat that was produced when Earth formed, in addition to heat generated by radioactive decay (“Geothermal Energy”).
3.Iceland is located along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, a divergent plate boundary. This is why people in Iceland use this energy along with hydropower and are able to provide electricity and heat to everyone in Iceland. This is why Iceland is independent and does not need fossil fuels except for their car fuels (“Geothermal Energy”).
II. Iceland’s accomplishments
A. Because Iceland is situated where two of Earth’s major tectonic plates join, there is a high level of geothermal activity which has resulted in Iceland becoming a green country (Owen 18).
1.Because oil prices were rising in the 1970s and the supply of oil was being threatened because of worldwide political problems, Iceland decided to develop new types of green energy (Owen 18).
2. 30 years later, 100% of Iceland’s energy is green and 20% of the energy is from geothermal power stations (Owen 18).
B. Reykjavik (Iceland’s capital city), is one of the most environmentally-friendly cities in the world. It saves up to four million tons of damaging carbon-dioxide from being released into the air each year (Owen 19).
1. At the Svartsengi power station, naturally heated water that was used in electricity production is fed into a large outdoor bathing place called the “Blue Lagoon”. The waters of the “Blue Lagoon” are not polluted and are very warm.
III. The pros of Geothermal Energy
A. As society advances, oil and gas vanishes, which is why there should be an alternative source. Geothermal energy is a good source because it is not dependent on a certain weather condition like solar and wind power is (Owen 26).
1.Grand amounts of energy are needed to transport coal, oil and gas from where they are extracted from the ground. Geothermal energy is usually produced near where it is necessary (Owen 26).
2. Geothermal energy will always be renewable because heat is always being produced inside the earth (Owen 26).
3.Every country in the world has underground hear that can run geothermal heat pumps and most countries also have geothermal reservoirs that can be used to produce electricity, heat and heated water. Many nations always have to buy oil or coal from other countries to supply their power needs (Owen 26).
4. Geothermal power stations release only 3% of the acid gases that are produced by power stations that burn fossil fuels. So when fossil fuels are burned the acid gases produced merge with the clouds and present acid rain and this rain can pollute rivers and lakes as well as kill animals and plants. Acid rain also destroys soil with its poison (Owen 26).
IV. The cons of Geothermal Energy
A. Although most places have Geothermal Energy, and the heat inside the Earth will forever be there, some of the reservoirs will eventually cool down over time (Owen 27).
1. The cost to drill a well in order to get geothermal energy is very expensive totally costing about 4 million dollars (Owen 27).
2.It is not that easy to access geothermal energy. There is a lot of it, but a lot of places don’t have reservoirs close to the surface, so not a lot of countries will have the ease of access like Iceland does (Owen 27).
3.Every home could be heated and/or cooled by geothermal energy, but they are also very expensive. To buy and install the system can cost up to 30,000 dollars. You could buy a car with that money (Owen 27)!
4. Geothermal heat pumps use underground heat to warm the building but the pump itself needs to be run on electricity. If this electricity is not produced in an Earth-friendly way, then the geothermal pump will still be releasing greenhouse gases into the atmosphere (Owen 27).
A. Geothermal energy is energy gained from the heat inside the Earth like the mantle and the core (“Geothermal Energy”).
1. Geothermal energy is often tapped through drilling wells into bedrock and allowing the steam and hot water to flow up near the surface. Generally, the hot water and steam derived are channeled back into the subsurface to close the circuit and add pressure for extraction (“Geothermal Energy”).
2. Earth’s internal heat is due to the residual heat that was produced when Earth formed, in addition to heat generated by radioactive decay (“Geothermal Energy”).
3.Iceland is located along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, a divergent plate boundary. This is why people in Iceland use this energy along with hydropower and are able to provide electricity and heat to everyone in Iceland. This is why Iceland is independent and does not need fossil fuels except for their car fuels (“Geothermal Energy”).
II. Iceland’s accomplishments
A. Because Iceland is situated where two of Earth’s major tectonic plates join, there is a high level of geothermal activity which has resulted in Iceland becoming a green country (Owen 18).
1.Because oil prices were rising in the 1970s and the supply of oil was being threatened because of worldwide political problems, Iceland decided to develop new types of green energy (Owen 18).
2. 30 years later, 100% of Iceland’s energy is green and 20% of the energy is from geothermal power stations (Owen 18).
B. Reykjavik (Iceland’s capital city), is one of the most environmentally-friendly cities in the world. It saves up to four million tons of damaging carbon-dioxide from being released into the air each year (Owen 19).
1. At the Svartsengi power station, naturally heated water that was used in electricity production is fed into a large outdoor bathing place called the “Blue Lagoon”. The waters of the “Blue Lagoon” are not polluted and are very warm.
III. The pros of Geothermal Energy
A. As society advances, oil and gas vanishes, which is why there should be an alternative source. Geothermal energy is a good source because it is not dependent on a certain weather condition like solar and wind power is (Owen 26).
1.Grand amounts of energy are needed to transport coal, oil and gas from where they are extracted from the ground. Geothermal energy is usually produced near where it is necessary (Owen 26).
2. Geothermal energy will always be renewable because heat is always being produced inside the earth (Owen 26).
3.Every country in the world has underground hear that can run geothermal heat pumps and most countries also have geothermal reservoirs that can be used to produce electricity, heat and heated water. Many nations always have to buy oil or coal from other countries to supply their power needs (Owen 26).
4. Geothermal power stations release only 3% of the acid gases that are produced by power stations that burn fossil fuels. So when fossil fuels are burned the acid gases produced merge with the clouds and present acid rain and this rain can pollute rivers and lakes as well as kill animals and plants. Acid rain also destroys soil with its poison (Owen 26).
IV. The cons of Geothermal Energy
A. Although most places have Geothermal Energy, and the heat inside the Earth will forever be there, some of the reservoirs will eventually cool down over time (Owen 27).
1. The cost to drill a well in order to get geothermal energy is very expensive totally costing about 4 million dollars (Owen 27).
2.It is not that easy to access geothermal energy. There is a lot of it, but a lot of places don’t have reservoirs close to the surface, so not a lot of countries will have the ease of access like Iceland does (Owen 27).
3.Every home could be heated and/or cooled by geothermal energy, but they are also very expensive. To buy and install the system can cost up to 30,000 dollars. You could buy a car with that money (Owen 27)!
4. Geothermal heat pumps use underground heat to warm the building but the pump itself needs to be run on electricity. If this electricity is not produced in an Earth-friendly way, then the geothermal pump will still be releasing greenhouse gases into the atmosphere (Owen 27).