Geothermal and Hydro Electric Energy

by kunorock

No discussion of renewable energy would be complete without paying some attention to the bystanders sometimes left out of the discussions: geothermal and hydro electric energy. Although they are not considered to be of serious impact at this stage, they do present energy options for localized communities who might wish to subsidize their power grid with another source of readily available energy that lessens their dependence on the main form of energy. Geothermal energy is heat energy that comes from the molten interior of the earth. There are places where this molten material is close enough to the surface where it can be harnessed.

The feasibility of geothermal energy has been explored since the early 1900s. By and large it relies on the utilization of heat that is found beneath the earth for all energy needs aboveground. At this point in time the application for geothermal heat is primarily for localized use and not for large scale energy production.
Environmentalists believe that the release of steam byproducts does have a lasting impact on the environment - although not nearly as dire as the current emissions caused by the generation and use of fossil fuels.  Hydro electric energy, on the other hand, is found to be by far more useful when it comes to renewable energy. After all, there is plenty of water found on the earth and there is little chance of running out of this fuel any time soon.

Renewable energy is a fast growing segment of our energy supply. These safe, clean energy sources provide a plausible solution to our need to diversify energy supplies. Renewable energy is not subject to sharp price changes because it comes from sources such as sunshine, flowing water, wind, and biological waste, all of which are free.  Currently it is this form of renewable energy that makes up the lion's share of all the renewable energy current used around the world. Geothermal and hydro electric energy are valid contenders in the search for a new primary energy source, but at this point it looks as though solar power is beating both of them.