Geothermal

Coal, Natural Gas, Nuclear, Wind

Power potential:

With 99% of the Earth’s mass possessing a temperature greater than 1000 degrees Celsius there is far more energy stored in hot rocks than in all the fossil fuels combined. The recent MIT report on geothermal energy suggests that this source could provide as much as 10% of U.S. energy by 2050.

 

Fossil fuels are exhaustible, and extraction and supply costs are rising.

Space required:

A geothermal canal can provide access to hundreds of square miles of hot rocks and produce massive amounts of electricity while requiring only minimal surface space for the power plant itself. In Massachusetts, where space is at a premium, this is highly attractive. A 160 MW plant using a heat canal, for instance, would require only ten acres.

 

According to the DOE, a wind farm with the same electric generation potential would require 4600 acres, and over 1000 acres would be necessary for a solar array facility.

Operating costs:

Since the canal supplies a constant source of fuel, and this fuel is free, the primary operating costs for the plant are for basic equipment, personnel and routine maintenance and repair. Using a centralized heat canal system for a geothermal power plant, estimated costs could be 1 cent per KWh to operate.

 

Operating costs at coal-fired plants average 2.8 cents per kilowatt-hour; at nuclear plants the average cost is 1.7 cents per KWh (but this does not include the cost of waste disposal); natural gas fired plants cost between 3 to 5 cents per KWh.

Emissions:

Since water is the fuel, there is no burning of any material, hence little if any CO2 emissions.

 

According to the EPA, the average emissions rates in the United States from natural gas-fired generation are: 1135 lbs/MWH of carbon dioxide, 0.1 lbs/MWH of sulfur dioxide, and 1.7 lbs/MWH of nitrogen oxides. In addition, the process of extraction, treatment, and transport of the natural gas to the power plant generates additional emissions.

Resource exploration:

Drilling thousands of horizontal six inch bore holes along a main canal will result in detailed exploration of the hot rocks at a depth of 30,000 feet. Inevitably, some natural resources, such as oil, natural gas or precious metals will be discovered.

 

According to the NY Times (10/24/05) the top-10 oil groups spend about $8bn combined on exploration per year, with increasingly diminishing returns.

Job creation:

Not only would jobs be created during construction and operation of the facility but also other products would be developed as new innovations are used for other applications.

 

Current efforts to restrict the use of fossil fuels and opposition to nuclear power will s reduce future energy production. Without new sources of energy, this will have significant negative economic and job impacts

Security:

Geothermal energy greatly reduces security concerns by tapping into a domestic source of power and reducing risks of potential attacks on power facilities.

 

The United States is highly dependent on foreign oil and natural gas. Nuclear plants constitute a high security risk.

Safety:

Geothermal power is safe. Even a total system failure (caused perhaps by a terrorist attack) would result only in a release of hot water into the atmosphere.

 

The consequences from a meltdown at a nuclear plant (owing either to malfunction or attack) are dire. An explosion at a fossil-fuel burning plant would result in fire and the release of toxins into the atmosphere.

By-Products Produced:

The primary by-product of this system is distilled water and salt.

 

See emissions.