Geothermal activity
Geothermal energy is the heat that is present and radiates from the center of the earth. One of the biggest advantages of geothermal energy is the fact that it is a renewable source of energy and it is consistently available. This type of energy can be taken from the shallow ground to the hot water and hot rock miles beneath the earth’s surface. A geothermal system consists of a heath pump, air delivery, and heat exchanger pipes that are buried in the shallow ground near the building. During the winter season, the heat pump removes heat from the heat exchanger and pumps it into the indoor air delivery system. In the summer, this process is reversed, and the heat pump moves heat from the indoor air into the heat exchanger. This can be used toward hot water.
Island is one of the leading nations in geothermal energy. In fact, they have been using this type of energy for decades. The Icelandic government has financed thermal and electric power plants through at the country in addition to the small infrastructural changes that deliver hot water to homes. This way, the country has eliminated the dependence on fossil fuels for heating and electricity. These changes have also made Iceland into one of the pioneer experts in geothermal energy production. 99% of Iceland’s electricity is produced from renewable sources of energy, 30% of that number is from geothermal energy.
Experts and scientists say that the Iceland has only used a small fraction of the potential energy that is available in the country. Therefore, the government has started a research project to drill deeper and access greater power than before. Moreover, the government has been diligent about balancing the economic needs against any environmental impact of such expansive projects.
Sources:
http://geo-energy.org/Basics.aspx
http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/geothermal-energy/tech.html
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/iceland-geothermal-power/
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2008/apr/22/renewableenergy.alternativeenergy