Geothermal Heat vs. Other Fuel
"Geothermal" comes from the Greek words geo (earth) and therme (heat). Geothermal heat is the enormous energy enclosed in the earth's core that can be utilized to generate electricity or heat. This form of energy has several benefits over other forms of renewable energy and various advantages over fossil fuels.
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Emissions
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Like other renewable energy sources (solar or wind), generating electricity with geothermal energy helps in reducing emissions that pollute the environment. Geothermal energy produces nearly 50 times less carbon dioxide, nitric oxide and sulfur emissions than traditional fossil-fuel power plants.
Cost
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Geothermal power is one of the cheapest forms of energy. It is approximately 5 cents per kWh, which is half the price of traditional power (from a grid utility).
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Availability
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Fossil fuels are nonrenewable sources of energy. However, solar, wind, hydroelectric and geothermal systems capture energy from natural, infinitely renewable processes--sunlight, wind, moving water and heat from beneath the earth.
Reliability
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It is a very reliable source of power. Since a geothermal power plant sits right on top of its fuel source, it works irrespective of the time of the day or weather conditions (unlike other forms of renewable energy such as solar or wind power, which depend on weather conditions or sunlight availability).
Efficiency
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The geothermal plants are less efficient when compared to other power plants. The efficiency of such plants is about one-tenth that of solar energy. According to Jeff Siegel, author of "Investing in Renewable Energy," the PureCycle units made by United Technologies generate 225 kW of power in an 11-by-17-foot area--about one-tenth the footprint of solar PV for the same power output.
Current Uses of Geothermal Heat
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In the United States, California is the largest producer of electricity from geothermal energy. China, Italy and Iceland also are producing geothermal energy to supplement their energy needs.
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