Geothermal Energy

      A British geologist by the name of Ryan Law is pushing Britain to fund aproject that he believes is the best renewable energy currently in reach. He believes that geothermal energy has the potential of moving the world away from fossil fuels, and can have a greater impact than solar and wind energy.
      The concept behind geothermal energy is drilling very deep below the Earth's surface to rocks such as granite that are between 120 and 200 degrees celsius and creating turbines that are powered by the heat. Water is sent down these wells to be boiled by the hot rocks, which then sends the water back up through different pipes as steam, which "drives turbines and feeds public heating conduits". The water cools over this process and is then sent back down the wells to be heaten up again. The very idea of this circular motion is one that seems very sustainable.
     One thing I found very interesting was how this system can be usedalmost anywhere around the world. In the US alone,we have the potential to create 2,000 times our primary energy needs with this geothermal system, and could realistically have 10% of all our energy being created by the year 2050.  This system would work continually ass opposed to wind and solar that are restricted very much by weather patterns. Although geothermal energy plants can only provide a fraction of what coal, gas, and nuclear plants can create, the geothermal plants also require a fraction of the Earth's surface area per plant. Being the size of half of a football field, these geothermal plants could dot the country and be used to power schools, recreational buildings, and businesses. This system can be used to get rid of the idea of transmitting energy long distances.
     There are some downsides to geothermal energy. One big issue that Ryan Law is facing is funding. This energy is a concept very much in its development stage and relies on a lot of factors to be successful. There is a geothermal energy plant in Australia that has been really underperforming. Because this system requires drilling, it's hard to know exactly what's underground until you get there. There has been research as to where these "hot rocks" may be, but nothing is for certain. Once you get to these hot rocks, the well’s productivity will depend on variables like temperature, permeability, pressure, and temperature gradient. For maximum productivity, this blend of variables has to be nearly perfect.
     The other big issue with geothermal energy is that the drilling of these wells may cause earthquakes. It has in the past on multiple occassions, but these earthquakes are no bigger than a nearby rumbling truck. These seismic events have gained terrible public relations with local residents, which is why the system has been shut down is some parts of the world. The world's push for renewable enrgy may get people to look past the initial and temporary negatives and focus on the benefits to come.
     I think this idea of geothermal energy as a renewable energy is a really interesting one. It has so much potential, but needs the investment to break through its development stage. It does require a lot more investment than other renewable energies such as wind and solar, but this is a system that can work in a lot more places around the world. The thought of drilling always comes with negative feelings from me, but this is still an alternative and it shouldn't be written off just because it has some negative impacts on the environment. All other renewable energy systems such as wind have some negative impact on the environment such as the extraction of metals for creating its blades. I just believe that the investment should be made to look further into geothermal energy and how it can help us to a complete turn away from fossil fuels.

http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2012/05/geothermal-power-to-the-people-forget-iceland-hot-rocks-are-everywhere