subject: Looking At Geothermal Energy For Heating And Cooling [print this page] Looking At Geothermal Energy For Heating And Cooling
It may seem surprising, but using the earths internal temperature to cool your homes as well to heat, is possible. Using geothermal power through tunnels dug either horizontally or vertically to bring the temperature of your home to earths level allows you to then go from that temp up or down, to either heat or cool your house. This is also referred to as ground-source heating and cooling.
Staying at a nice sixty degrees, more or less, year around, makes bringing it into a house for cooling or heating a good idea. One can heat up from that temp rather than whatever it is outside, saving a lot of money in electricity costs.
The moderately cool temperature under the ground at that depth may actually be a little uncomfortable in the summer, making it possibly necessary to open windows to let in a little outside warmer air. It is a dance, learning to adjust openings like windows or doors to keep one comfortable inside. The price is right so folks do that.
In Italy around 1904, the first thermal plant was begun. From that time to present, thermally produced power has been growing around the world. It is often made use of in areas that are far removed from most civilization, since it uses heat or water from any spot on earth that can be dug into.
Weather is not a factor in the production of energy from ground sources, nor is there any air pollution. Tapping into the heat of the actual earth is not the only way in which this underground is used. Bringing water to the surface and using it as steam to run turbine systems that create electricity is also done.
This energy is a renewable source and has been seen to be very reliable. As we use what the earth provides, it continues to make more thermal power by the active decay of radioactive elements in the earth. Tapping into underground sources of this energy are also said to be cleaner than using such fossil fuels as coal and much safer as well.
The access to all of this geothermal energy is made through rather shallow areas in earths' top layer. It is said to be impossible to use it all up, since folks are really only gathering this energy from a very small amount of what is truly available, way deep down. Private and commercial uses are increasing daily. This is a good thing for all people.
