to spin the wheel.” (Bateman, 2015). Renewable energy is synonymous with sustainable energy. It is hard to believe that the world’s reliance on fossil fuel runs so deep within our cultures and societies. Wind, Water, even solar technologies are not likely to replace our traditional fossil energy sources alone. The solution may be found by combining these alternate sources into a collage that together can pave the way to a fossil-fuel free world. One source of sustainability
energy is found deep beneath the earth’s surface. Although it would seem that a large portion of the world has limited access to this treasure it’s worth a discussion about the benefits of geothermal technology. According to Biello, geothermal produces less than one percent …show more content…
1770). Geothermal energy can be used for hot water and steam but it also may utilize the availability of super-heated rock formations deep in the earth’s crust. The dry rock resources are enormous in the United States but the technology for tapping into the energy is fairly new according to Esmundo & Schilling (Esmundo & Schilling, 2009, p. 1770). There is also some controversy about a technique known as geothermal fracking. Drilling deep into the earth may present with some safety concerns for some while others compare the process to natural gas drilling. In any case, the technology could be further developed to mitigate the risk and play a role in our energy needs (Biello, 2013). Interestingly, geothermal energy is less expensive for electrical generation than other renewable resources such as solar, wind, or biomass. It is however, currently still more expensive than fossil fuel (Esmundo & Schilling, 2009, p. 1771). Understanding the economic approach makes good sense because energy is in a financial market and in the end alternate energy must be able to compete with petroleum, coal, and natural gas before it will gain any real traction. It is noteworthy that the analysis conducted by Esmundo & Schilling revealed that research and development investment data has reached the limit of …show more content…
These alternate energies must be renewable. Stanford University recently laid out a plan for what they call WWS (wind, water, and sunlight) to replace fossil fuels in an article for Scientific American (Delucchi & Jacobson, 2009). The plan is comprehensive and calls for a smart mix of WWS technology with geothermal providing the steady base of the mix. The authors give a compelling argument that WWS could produce electricity as cheap as coal by 2020 (Delucchi & Jacobson, 2009, p. 64). One country has more of the resource than others: Iceland has the biggest geothermal resources in the world. Omar Friedlandson stated that 70-80% of their energy is renewable. Iceland Deep Drilling Project (IDDP) sets out to drill into the ground to super-heated rock and add water to get super-heated steam (Bateman, 2015). The process has limitations due to the dangers of mistakenly hitting molten magma that can be closer to the surface than expected. The other scientific study that may need answering is if drilling into the ground can cause earthquakes and thermal explosions as a side effect. Geothermal energy in other areas of the world are either too expensive or not available. This renewable energy source is only a part of the overall solution.
Big fossil fuel companies and politics are the biggest obstacles in making the change to renewable energy. It’s not difficult to understand the effect
energy is found deep beneath the earth’s surface. Although it would seem that a large portion of the world has limited access to this treasure it’s worth a discussion about the benefits of geothermal technology. According to Biello, geothermal produces less than one percent …show more content…
1770). Geothermal energy can be used for hot water and steam but it also may utilize the availability of super-heated rock formations deep in the earth’s crust. The dry rock resources are enormous in the United States but the technology for tapping into the energy is fairly new according to Esmundo & Schilling (Esmundo & Schilling, 2009, p. 1770). There is also some controversy about a technique known as geothermal fracking. Drilling deep into the earth may present with some safety concerns for some while others compare the process to natural gas drilling. In any case, the technology could be further developed to mitigate the risk and play a role in our energy needs (Biello, 2013). Interestingly, geothermal energy is less expensive for electrical generation than other renewable resources such as solar, wind, or biomass. It is however, currently still more expensive than fossil fuel (Esmundo & Schilling, 2009, p. 1771). Understanding the economic approach makes good sense because energy is in a financial market and in the end alternate energy must be able to compete with petroleum, coal, and natural gas before it will gain any real traction. It is noteworthy that the analysis conducted by Esmundo & Schilling revealed that research and development investment data has reached the limit of …show more content…
These alternate energies must be renewable. Stanford University recently laid out a plan for what they call WWS (wind, water, and sunlight) to replace fossil fuels in an article for Scientific American (Delucchi & Jacobson, 2009). The plan is comprehensive and calls for a smart mix of WWS technology with geothermal providing the steady base of the mix. The authors give a compelling argument that WWS could produce electricity as cheap as coal by 2020 (Delucchi & Jacobson, 2009, p. 64). One country has more of the resource than others: Iceland has the biggest geothermal resources in the world. Omar Friedlandson stated that 70-80% of their energy is renewable. Iceland Deep Drilling Project (IDDP) sets out to drill into the ground to super-heated rock and add water to get super-heated steam (Bateman, 2015). The process has limitations due to the dangers of mistakenly hitting molten magma that can be closer to the surface than expected. The other scientific study that may need answering is if drilling into the ground can cause earthquakes and thermal explosions as a side effect. Geothermal energy in other areas of the world are either too expensive or not available. This renewable energy source is only a part of the overall solution.
Big fossil fuel companies and politics are the biggest obstacles in making the change to renewable energy. It’s not difficult to understand the effect