subject: Geothermal Heating Holds Much Potential [print this page] Although the concept of harnessing free energy from the earth, for use in heating and cooling was introduced more than 30 years ago, it has been somewhat slow in gaining recognition as a legitimate alternative energy technology. This may be partly because it is not fully understood. However it appears that the deployment of geothermal heating technology is slowly gaining some traction.
The literal translation of geothermal is earth-heat, or heat that comes from the earth. It relies heavily on the heat energy at the interior of the earth. As we approach the center of the earth, to the molten core, the temperature increases. It is estimated that the temperature increases 30C for every kilometer that we travel to the center. The molten heat activity is often expressed in the form of volcanic activity that forces molten lava to the surface.
With the geothermal heating process, the heat at the core of the earth can be used to heat water, to create electricity. Water can also be extracted from porous rock to produce electricity, and water can also be injected into hot rock to create an Enhanced Geothermal System. Geothermal energy can be used for, reliable and clean electricity, as long as heat continues to escape from the interior. There are no harmful by-products, and the process is recyclable. In addition to creating electricity, there are many uses for geothermal water that include hot springs, laundry and agriculture.
Geothermal heating, is still relatively expensive on an industrial scale and some countries such as Iceland, Japan, the U.S and the Philippines are slowly developing geothermal resources to produce electricity, but the costs of drilling to the depths great enough to extract enough heat for economic viability of the system still remain a bit prohibitive, however, we can still drill deep enough to extract heat from distances that are closer to the surface of the earth.
The highest quality geothermal resource is normally located at regions with high level of structural activity. The Ring of Fire is the region that circles the Pacific Ocean, and is recognized as having a lot of volcanic activity, permitting la large quantity to heat to rise to the earth's surface .These are the regions that show the most potential for the use of geothermal energy. However, research continues into lowering the costs of drilling and improving efficiencies of geothermal plants in order to take fuller use of the amazing potential of geothermal energy.
There may be several other reason why geothermal energy production has not yet approached full adaption, or has not achieved the attention of other alternative energy technologies, and most of them appear to be either economical or political.
In the early stages of development renewable energy markets often need financial support through governmental policies, or funding that can come from either the government or perhaps from the private sector. Unfortunately the industry has received very little attention. At the local level, in some countries, geothermal heating is now being brought to the consumer level as governments are subsidizing installations in homes and buildings, with grants and rebates.
The use of geothermal heating as a free and renewable energy source is gaining attention as the governments are beginning to install rebates and financial assistance programs. The number of installations of geothermal heating units can be expected to increase in the future.
