GEOTHERMAL ENERGY! By: Christian Costley, Kali Mitchell, & Katie Strudthoff

How does it work at home?

How does it work in the power plants?  In geothermal energy systems, wells are drilled two or three miles deep and water is circulated past the hot rocks at that depth to collect heat; the resulting steam is then used to run turbines in a power plant.

 Tapping into just 1% of heat stored in the uppermost 5 Km of the earth’s crust would provide 250 times more energy than that in all the earth’s oil and natural gas reserves.  EPA states it’s the most energy- efficient, reliable, environmentally clean, and cost effective way to heat a house.  Releases 1/6 as much CO2 as a power plant burning natural gas  Releases 1/10 th the amount emitted by a coal burning power plant  Renewable energy source  Cost $0.05/Kwh  Scarcity of suitable sites  Depleted if used to rapidly  CO2 emissions  Moderate to high local air pollution  Noise and odor (H2S)  Cost too high except at the most concentrated and accessible sources  Disturbance of the land Pro’sCon’s

History  About 10,000 years ago, Paleo-Indians used hot springs in North American for cooking.  There have been few cases of explosions due to drilling down to make the wells.

Statistics  IN THE US: greater than 27 % used  IN THE WORLD: less than.416 % of the total energy supply (as of 2007)  HIGHEST USED IN THE WORLD: the United States  IN GEORGIA: Georgia Geothermal, LLC. Since 1992, they have completed more than 1,000 successful commercial and residential loop systems. Georgia Tech has Georgia Geo loops installed, and now the Department of Energy showcases this project as a geothermal efficiency case study

Why to choose geothermal energy  Its one of the most environmentally friendly solution for energy.  It provides a efficient way to heat and cool the Hartsfield Jackson International Airport without emitting CO2 and other greenhouse gases that pollute our atmosphere.  Since Atlanta is such a populated area it is very sufficient with the amount of people that are inhabitants.

Citations  Botkin, Daniel B., and Edward A. Keller. Environmental Science. 6th ed. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Print.  "Directory: Cents Per Kilowatt-Hour." Pure Energy Systems PESWiki. MediaWiki, Web. 6 May  Miller, Tyler. Living in the Environment. 15th ed. Belmont, CA: Thompson Cooperation, Print.