Geothermal Energy Essay -- Fossil Fuels Energy Resources Oil Geysers E

Geothermal Energy The human population is currently using up its fossil fuel supplies at staggering rates. Before long we will be forced to turn somewhere else for energy. There are many possibilities such as hydroelectric energy, nuclear energy, wind energy, solar energy and geothermal energy to name a few. Each one of these choices has its pros and cons. Hydroelectric power tends to upset the ecosystems in rivers and lakes. It affects the fish and wild life population. Nuclear energy is a very controversial subject. Although it produces high quantities of power with relative efficiency, it is very hard to dispose of the waste. While wind and solar power have no waste products, they require enormous amounts of land to produce any large amounts of energy. I believe that geothermal energy may be an alternative source of energy in the future. There are many things that we must take into consideration before geothermal energy can be a possibility for a human resource. I will be discussing some of these issues, questions, and problems. In the beginning when the solar system was young, the earth was still forming, things were very different. A great mass of elements swirled around a dense core in the middle. As time went on the accumulation elements with similar physical properties into hot bodies caused a slow formation of a crystalline barrier around the denser core. Hot bodies consisting of iron were attracted to the core with greater force because they were more dense. These hot bodies sunk into and became part of the constantly growing core. Less dense elements were pushed towards the surface and began to form the crust. The early crust or crystalline barrier consisted of ultra basic, basic, calc-alkaline, and granite. The early crust was very thin because the core was extremely hot. It is estimated that the mantel e 200 to 300 degrees Celsius warmer than it is today. As the core cooled through volcanism the crust became thicker and cooler. The earth is made up of four basic layers, the inner solid core, the outer liquid core, the mantel and the lithosphere and crust. The density of the layers gets greater the closer to the center of the earth that one gets. The inner core is approximately 16% of the planet's volume. It is made up of iron and nickel compounds. Nobody knows for sure but the outer core is thought to ... ...ng. There have been many technological breakthroughs that have resulted in increased efficiencies of modern day geothermal electrical plants. I feel that with the current environmental situation that the world now faces a viable method of clean up will include the use of geothermal power plants and resources. In a world that is suffocating from the chemicals, and particulates that are created in the production of electricity and other commercial industries, we have no choice but to change our ways. The earth can not support the current rates of pollution. If we do not change reduce pollution the effects that are beginning to be see now will become irreversible. Using geothermal resources for other purposes such as space heating can only help reduce pollution emission. With in the next century the world will begin to feel the energy crunch. Supplies of other natural resources such as coal, oil and other petroleum products will begin to become scarce. The world today is completely electricity dependent. Without electricity, the world as we know it would cease to exist. In the next century we must learn to be less electricity dependent or find other sources of energy.