There are countless alternative energy sources that you can use around your home and that are used in more commercial and industrial areas, but not all of them are familiar to us. We all know about solar energy for instance and this is essentially ‘going green 101’. However if you’ve never heard of geothermal energy then you are not alone, though this is an interesting avenue to look into for certain solutions.
Geothermal energy is in fact a close relation of solar energy. This is because it actually is powered by the sun – only indirectly. This works on the premise that the sun gradually heats up the Earth over time, and the fact that soil is a great insulator. This then means that there is a whole lot of untapped energy just waiting in the earth itself for anyone interested in going green and letting it out.
Of course the surface of the ground changes temperature all the time and is cooled by the wind, and so it would be no good trying to get energy from that (most of the time if you touch it it feels very cold). However deeper in the ground the temperature is much warmer and much more constant. This is where we are interested in getting our energy from.
As such, those who want to go green at home and find alternative sources of energy, can tap into that geothermal energy by running a series of pipes through their ground. These pipes will be buried deep below the surface to where the temperature is constant, and they will then have water run through them. As the water passes through, it will then be heated up by the surrounding geothermal energy and that will mean it comes out hot – and there’s your free energy.
Those interested in going green then can use this geothermal energy to heat their homes, their swimming pools or their sheds, and this will be completely free as you will literally just be warming the water up by running it around in your ground. The question you might be asking then is why isn’t everybody doing it?
This is a fair question, and unfortunately there are indeed some drawbacks to using geothermal energy to go green. The first is that you need a large amount of space through which to run the pipes for it to be effective and this means you need a lot of land – many people simply won’t have big enough gardens to use this particular method of going green. At the same time this land needs to be dug up so that the pipes can be installed and this represents a large undertaking and a large expense. This really is a significant investment. And unfortunately it won’t change the world either as geothermal energy is only enough to warm the water up, and couldn’t be used to power electric grids etc.
Thus we are still on the look out for that source of alternative energy that will be a game changer, and it’s not suitable for everyone. However for those who have enough land, like going green and want a guaranteed source of heat, geothermal energy is certainly worth looking into.
It is a fair question to wonder why everyone would not want to use geothermal energy. I like the idea of having things free. I wish that we had more land though as I am sure we do not have enough to go geothermal. I am sure that if everyone had more land to run the pipes it would be a go for everyone.
Too bad you need a lot of space for this. Or else I am sure everyone would be all about using geothermal energy. I know that if I purchase an area that is large enough, I would look into it. Saving our world means a lot to me and if I can help make my home more environment friendly, I am all for that.
It would be so nice to see the whole world use geothermal energy. Unfortunately with it being so expensive and needing so much room, I do not see it happening for every one. I wish it could though. I want to protect this earth and think that geothermal energy is the way to go.
I am very interested in going green and think that geothermal energy is the way to go. A great way to save the environment for sure. I have a lot of land but just do not have the money to do it. But I think it woudl be a wise investment.
I have never heard of geothermal energy before. I think that is sounds great. What a way to make the world a better place. I recently became interested in helping the Earth and want to make it a better place so my kids some day will have a nice place to live. I would love to have geothermal energy in my home. How can I find out how to get it?
I think that geothermal energy is a great way to go if you can afford it. Having a mortgage and three kids, there is not any way for us to do this right now. Maybe once the kids get into school all three of them, then we can think about it. I do feel it would be nice to have though.
I am in the process of building a new house. It has several acres so the space is not an issue. I am thinking of going with geothermal energy because it seems to be the right thing to do. I wonder who I have to contact to do that?
Geothermal energy is a great way to go. I urge anyone who can afford it to go for it. Many can not afford it though since it is so expensive. I wish the government would do something about that.
It is too bad that geothermal energy is not more effective. Good that it heats up the water. But from there what does it really all do? How can it help make the earth more user friendly?
How much does it take to have a home with geothermal energy? Like cost wise? I am sure it is expensive to start with. But if you do not have a gas bill each month, I guess in the long run you will be saving. Seems worth it to me.
I have never heard of geothermal energy until now. But it does make sense to use if you have the space for it. I think it would be great not to have a huge bill every month. I may have to consider doing something like this within the next few years.
My mum just put geothermal energy into her home that she had built for her. I do not know how much it was but she did say in the long run it would pay off. She has lots of land so the space was not an issue for her. So far so good. She likes it a lot.
I have never even heard of geothermal energy before. But it sounds like an interesting concept. And in the long run it will pay off. I know I spend so much a year on my heating bill. I would love to have that reduced!
I do not have that much land or I would look into doing this for sure. I love the idea of having the geothermal energy. I think that if one has the space for it, it is a wise investment. Maybe someday if I get a bigger place I can have it.