Greener News » Geothermal

Iceland is a Hot Spot for Clean Energy

admin — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 18:17:52 +0000

How much potential does geothermal energy, a cheap and renewable energy source, have to meet America’s clean energy needs?

According to NPR.org, geothermal energy could bring clean power hundreds of millions of homes and factories worldwide.

Oil sources are lessening and are growing increasingly more expensive. The people are pushing for greener alternatives. With all this brouhaha about going green a few scientists peeped up about going “red”. Their “red” solution is harnessing red hot magma for geothermal energy. Geothermal energy is renewable and its factories produce almost zero greenhouse gas emissions and scientists in Iceland have successfully harnessed the power mother nature herself. Iceland sits on top of the schism of the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates along what is known as the Mid-Atlantic ridge. This ridge feeds some thirty volcanoes magma as the two plates rip apart. Icelandic scientist use the old adage, “where there is smoke there is fire,” with respect to how they harness this awesome, primal energy source. Surface volcanoes are like beacons indicating a “hot spot” or source of magma for the volcano. Geologists then carefully drill deep wells over these hot spots. Water and steam are launched forth, although not instantaneously, from the wells like man-made geysers. The steam is then stripped of impurities and pumped into turbines that power generators that create electricity. The hot water can be guided through pipes into radiators to heat homes and businesses.

95 percent of the homes in Iceland are already heated with geothermal energy, which is 5 times less expensive than oil heat. Where might we see geothermal energy used in the US? Perhaps in Northern California, which has the world’s largest hot spots with their natural geysers. Beyond that, there are not enough hot spots in America to power the entire country as Iceland does. Hippies need not break out their protest poster boards just yet although scientists at MIT estimate that geothermal energy could power up to 10 percent of the country.

Oregon Tech Powers Up Geothermal Plant on Campus

keithabecker — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 19:22:32 +0000

College students have long been at the forefront of political and environmental change. The bright young minds at the Oregon Institute of Technology are no different, demanding sustainability efforts put into place by their school.

The Oregon Tech administration finally complied, accommodating their students’ wishes by outlining a plan to build a $7.6 million geothermal power plant on campus.

The plant will become the sole power source for the school in a few years, making Oregon Tech the only university to be powered completely by geothermal energy.

Since Klamath Falls, the home of Oregon Tech, sits near a fault line, heat and energy can be easily extracted from the earth.

In addition, the city of Klamath Falls operates a geothermal heating utility, using the energy to heat buildings, melt snow on the streets, and more.

The Power of Geothermal Energy

keithabecker — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 20:54:24 +0000

Everybody knows about Wind and Solar Power as alternative energy, but there is a new kid on the block: Geothermal Power.

When a historic seminary in the heart of Manhattan went searching for a way to cut its energy costs in an environmentally friendly way, it didn’t turn to the heavens for sun or wind power but sought salvation in an unlikely direction for a religious institution. It looked underground.

Tapping the energy stored in the Earth, The General Theological Seminary plans to construct the largest geothermal project on the East Coast; large enough to supply water to heat and cool the seminary’s 275,000 square feet of space.

Currently, geothermal power accounts for only half a percent of the nation’s energy generation, but that is likely to double in the next few years with 103 new plants under construction. The Renewable Energy Laboratory estimates that if all the heat trapped up to 2 miles under the U.S. were tapped, it could generate enough electricity to meet all of the country’s power needs for 30,000 years.

Read more in the Chicago Tribune online.

Putting the Sahara Desert to Work

keithabecker — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 18:20:05 +0000

If just 0.3% of the Sahara Desert was used as a concentrating solar plant, it would produce enough clean power to provide all of Europe with clean renewable energy. That is why 20 German companies are gathering next month to discuss plans and investments to carry out a 400 billion-Euro project proposed by the Desertec Foundation, to erect 100 GW of concentrating solar power plants throughout North Africa.

Instead of constructing the entire project in just one location, Desertec plans to scatter the plants throughout several politically stable countries. The power generated would be transported over high-voltage DC lines across the Mediterranean Sea to Europe, where it would supply 15% of the energy demand.

Along with providing clean energy, this project also aims at providing fresh drinking water and farming the desolate desert region by building desalination plants that will use concentrated solar power to provide energy and waste heat to create freshwater from seawater.

Even though the project is still 10-15 years away from breaking ground, several major players are getting involved.