Geothermal Energy

Recently I read an article about geothermal energy and some of its many uses on the How Stuff Works website. Geothermal energy is a fairly easy concept to understand as well as implement into practice. Essentially geothermal energy works the same way wind turbines work, except use rising steam to power the turbine instead of wind. Initially, the engineers building the geothermal power plant dig a well to reach magma beneath earth's crust. In most locations, this layer can be reached rather easily. Then they build a pumping system to pump water down into this well where it is then heated to its boiling point or hotter, then is returned the the surface. From this point, the heated water becomes steam and rises at a quick enough rate to turn the turbine and generate electricity. This system is only cost effective at the large scale unfortunate, but home owners can still utilize this untapped energy source in other ways. Just a few feet below earth's crust is a constant 50-60 degrees Fahrenheit almost everywhere in the world. This is very convenient because for around $30,000 most home owners can purchase a heating system for the winter and a cooling system for the summer that utilizes this constant temperature. And according to How Stuff Works, this investment can will pay itself off in energy savings in 5-10 years. Geothermal energy is an excellent alternative to energy generated by fossil fuels and even other forms of clean energy because it is everywhere, all you need to do is dig straight down, making it the most constant form of energy. Geothermal energy is also one of the cleanest forms of energy because there are little to no byproducts from pumping water down a well then collecting the water on the surface and repeat the process. Finally, geothermal energy is the most reliable form of air conditioning and heating in a home because of the constant temperature several feet under the ground. If you have any comments or questions about this article please post below. Thanks for reading!