PDS AP Environmental Science 8th Period 2010-11

Earth's Natural Heat

Geothermal Energy is essentially using the earth’s natural heat for power. The way the process works is the heat from the earth warms water, which evaporates to steam. The steam is then used to turn turbines that then generate electricity. Geothermal energy is a good clean way to power and heat the world’s towns and cities without needing too much coal.  There are many towns around the world reliant on geothermal energy, such as this one in China: Geothermal Town Video

The concept of using the earth to heat our homes is pretty cool, if you are more interested in figuring out how it works, check out this link from howstuffworks.com: How Geothermal Energy Works Keeping the Japan Nuclear Crisis in mind, you can’t help but wonder if other sources of energy can/would help Japan recover. To ease you curiosity, check out this news report about the potential for geothermal energy in Japan: Geothermal In Japan? In the grand scheme of things, geothermal energy provides a generally renewable source of energy. Although it cannot be used to fuel vehicles like Biomass has potential to do, it is very efficient for heating and cooling buildings. Geothermal energy is a solid investment in the world’s future.