GeoThermal Power, page 1

In the quest for environmentally friendly renewable energy, many of us across the net and beyond search for alternative sources of energy.

One of the older and more established concepts is geothermal power, relying on naturally produced steam and thermal energy to produce electricity. I was reading about the geothermal energy company The Vulcan Power Company and the industry. Currently being used in 24 countries, geothermal supplies tens of millions of people worldwide. Vulcan also offers info on how Geothermal energy production evolved.

The question is, in what ways can we expand this? Can geothermal make it hundreds, rather than tens of millions? Fossil fuel energy is a BIG gap to fill, so serious and heavy investment would be needed to enable geothermal to take a bigger slice of the energy production pie. And is geothermal a better rebewable than say, windfarming?

reply to post by Terran Blue

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While I can see the necessity of this type of thing, I can not see how it can have a big enough impact to make a major transition towards saving planet Earth from being raped by the oil industry, the powers that be, or the stupidity of not only American citizen, but the international community as well. It frustrates me to no end to know that this option has been available for decades and they are just now implementing it when the world is practically falling apart because of politicians stupidity in abusing their power and pushing the Big Business initiatives they float out of the political platforms like throwing rice at a wedding as the bride and groom are leaving the chapel.

The question is not about this one company, but in how many other companies would it take to get involved in order to do a damn thing in order to stop the Earth from being screwed up by big business, like Halliburton, Shell Oil, or British Petroleum? I think there should be a bigger picture perspective in order to get this initiative in order to stop it taking so long for the politicians to do the right thing.

reply to post by SpartanKingLeonidas

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The multibillion dollar geothermal power industry uses natural steam created by the intense planetary-scale heat of the earth to produce reliable clean electric power. Geothermal now supplies 2,800 megawatts (MW) in the United States, sufficient for 2.8 million Americans, and 8,500 MW worldwide supplying tens of millions of people in 24 countries. Geothermal is believed to now be the largest renewable power source west of the Mississippi (non-hydro). The US Department of Energy (USDOE) has estimated there is sufficient geothermal in the United States for massive growth and proposes geothermal increase by 4,300 MW to supply 10% of all power in the West. This would nearly triple current output. Such growth would dwarf other new renewables. By way of example 7,100 MW of geothermal equals an estimated 21,000 MW of wind output at 33% capacity factor

Looks pretty significant to me if it can provide 10% of our nations power and looks like a long term solution that is not really depleted like fossil fuel.

[edit on 9/6/2008 by UFOTECH]

reply to post by Cyberbian

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Hi Cyberbian,
I have a close friend who has geothermal underfloor heating in his new house , but it requires electricity to "compress" and pump the heat throughout the house. On the upside , it supplies 100 % of his home heating and hot water. ( though it rarely drops below freezing here in Eire).

It cost 16, 000 Euros approx 22,800 US Dollars, has he been ripped off ?
With the rising cost of electricity , i always regarded the need for electricity as a major draw back to domestic geothermal.
What depth are the G.T pipes layed at ? How many feet of G.T piping ?

Geothermal heat pumps are another slightly more passive way of using the Earth's natural heat (or coolness) to enhance exsisting environmental systems. There are companies that sell the equipment and try to make it more complicated than it needs to be, but it's basically a length of tube or pipe sunk in the ground six feet or so that brings hot or cold air or water in, and takes out essentially "lukewarm" air or water, which then requires a lot less heating or cooling to be used.

All you really need is some good pipe, a reliable pump and/or fan, and somebody to do the digging. Hook it to your existing water or air conditioning system and away you go.

reply to post by Nohup

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Thanks for the reply, I might be off on the depth necessary, but I seem to remember him saying over a hundred feet in depth. It's been over 10 years since that conversation.

reply to post by ArMaP

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yes you are correct ArMaP,

it was on Euro news.

snoopyuk

I honestly do not see how this can be of any help.

What I mean by that, is that the Earth we live on is nearly depleted to the extent that it is in shabby disrepair through the raping of the rainforests, the blood-sucking oil-barrons, and the soon to be over-brimming oceans which have been pushing more and more up on the beaches on a daily, if not hourly basis. All in the name of faster cars, cheaper (yeah right) gasoline or petrol, and more toilet paper. I'm sorry, I'm ticked off at our World Government to point of it being beyond our ability towards turning back the hand of time on their leeching and vampirism ways of shoving various utensils and plungers up planet Earth's proverbial butthole.

What's next, strip down the damn Redwood Sequoia's in the National Forests?

Start vacuuming up all the salt-water and de-salinating the entire worlds seas, all in the name of Evian water? You know Evian, spelled backwards, is naivE, right?

What about hunting down every single whale, school of fish, and cementing in the Marianas Trench?

I'm mad as Hell at our Government with this, let alone some company with the Vulcan Mind Meld on digging into the planet.



See, I can see the necessity and usefulness of something like the Tunnel Boring Machine's in digging sideway underneath the city streets, which would be structurally strengthening the road system as well as the foundations of the building those roads are around, but are they going to use T.B.M.'s to dig straight into the Earth's Core? If they do, how deep is too deep? And who's going to determine that exactly? I trust any Government of any country about as far as I can trust that I can beat Mike Tyson's butt, without him going Jeffrey Dahmer on my ears.

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