As planet earth formed, tons of extremely hot substances condensed together. From then on, a reservoir of radioactive chemicals has slowly disintegrated to produce a constant source of heat. The heat coming from the earth due to radio-active decay is predicted to continue for the foreseeable future, which means that this heat energy is regarded as renewable.
The other aspect of geothermal power is that water is intrinsically involved in the process. Again, due to the water cycle, it is also renewable. This type of renewable energy has also been shown to reduce incidence of acid rain to only 3% of other traditional forms of electricity generation.
In the steam, some environmentally damaging chemicals, like sulfur (IV) oxide, can be found. Either they are returned to the well or they are made into chemicals that are used for other purposes. To get this energy, no fossil burning machinery is needed, which means that it is clean, releasing negligible greenhouse gases. This fact means that it is more desirable than the traditional methods available.
In comparison to other power stations, like those that are fuel-driven, the technology employed to channel this subterranean steam to turbines, requires less space, with no pipelines needed to supply fuels to power machinery, since the steam comes up on its own. The steam produced by the high temperatures deep down below the surface is also a local product in every country, meaning that there is no need to depend on foreign input for any aspect of it.
Areas like Alaska and Hawaii, and some others, are conducive to geothermal power generation because steam is found near the earth's surface. It is far cheaper to tap into the wells in places like these and make use of it. Not everywhere is as easy to find vaporized water, so only certain areas can take advantage geothermal energy at present.
It is risky for companies to want to set up power generating sites in areas that have the pressurized steam available, as these areas are historically unstable, prone to both volcanoes and earthquake activity. Also, when drilling into the wells below the earth, there are no guarantees that the site will provide enough steam. They can also run dry, needing pipes to then be put into different positions to tap into other pockets near by.
A major obstacle to the use of this form of energy being used more widely is current drilling technology. Drilling in this type of environment, causes damage to equipment due to corrosion and heat exposure. Suitable equipment needs to be specially made for this purpose. At present the equipment is still exorbitantly expensive.
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