Did you know that geothermal energy is a sustainable and environmentally-friendly alternative to fossil fuels? Geothermal power plants generate electricity by tapping into Earth’s natural heat, which is stored underneath the surface of the planet. Sounds like a great idea, right? It sounds too good to be true. Here are 10 disadvantages of geothermal energy.
1. Geothermal Energy Plants Are Expensive To Build
If a geothermal power plant is built near mountains, it can make efficient use of the heat energy. If a power plant is built in deserts, it will make less use of the heat, and there will be less electricity produced by the plant.
The geothermal power plant’s efficiency depends on the altitude where it is built. If an energy company builds a geothermal power plant in an area where there are many mountains, there will be more electricity produced than if they built it in desert or a flat area.
2. Geothermal Energy Plants Are Not Widespread Enough
Geothermal energy plants are expensive to build and are not very efficient in areas where there are few mountains. There aren’t many geothermal energy plants in deserts, or flat areas.
This is because the technology has not advanced enough to make it efficient in those places yet. It would be more feasible to rely on geothermal energy plants if they were built in flat area with lots of desert.
3. Geothermal Energy Plants Require Maintenance
When compared to conventional heating and cooling systems, ground source heat pumps utilise 75% less energy.
If a geothermal power plant is built near a mountain, it can make use of the heat from the Earth on a daily basis, which is more efficient than if it was built in deserts without mountains nearby. Because the geothermal power plant is underground, it must be maintained or repaired on a daily basis because the Earth’s heat can get in the way of its machinery.
4. Geothermal Energy Plants Rely On Rare Earthquakes To Operate
Earthquakes are caused by tectonic plates moving against each other underneath the Earth’s surface as well as when volcanic activity happens. Geothermal power plants rely on earthquakes so they can take advantage of the natural heat in the Earth, and then generate electricity. Earthquakes aren’t a sustainable or environmentally-friendly way to create electricity because they cause a lot of damage.
5. Geothermal Energy Plants Are Sometimes Located Near Volcanoes
Volcanoes are hotspots where the Earth’s magma and heat are exposed to the surface of the planet, which is why geothermal power plants exist in areas near them. But, when powering a geothermal plant near a volcano, there is always the risk that it could erupt at any given time, which would be bad for us because we’d lose our source of clean energy.
6. The Excess Heat From The Earth Creates Havoc For Animals
Geothermal plants have the potential to be less efficient in areas where there are many animals who live on the surface of the Earth. In areas with very few animals, it is relatively easy for geothermal plants to harvest energy, but in areas with many animals, there is more heat that can get into the Earth’s soil, which will reduce how much electricity they can generate.
7. The Geothermal Energy Plant Has A Very Hot Source Of Heat
The pipes inside a geothermal power plant are underground structures that carry water and other things to keep them well lubricated and cool so they can operate at peak efficiency. However, the heat from the Earth can sometimes cause cracks in pipes and other underground structures, which will put electricity production at risk.
8. The Excess Heat Created By A Geothermal Power Plant Can Affect Us Negatively
Geothermal energy plants can create energy through the process of “heating the rocks beneath them” which makes it easier for them to behave as a power station because there is no pressure or temperature change from outside to inside of the power plant.
The heat that is produced by geothermal plants has a negative effect on the animals’ digestive systems, and it affects their bodily functions in many ways.
9. The Excess Heat From The Earth Can Affect The Number Of Crops
Geothermal plants can disturb the environment and cause land types that were not intended for energy production or for crop growth to grow crops. This is why geothermal power plants are usually built near mountains or flat areas where there are less animals, but more heat from the Earth.
If a geothermal power plant is built near a farm, it will affect how much food crops will be grown on, and possibly prevent new farms from being established in an area due to its negative effects on agricultural crops.
10. Geothermal Plants Can Affect Natural Disasters
Geothermal plants are required to drill in order to extract energy from the Earth, which causes cracks on the surface of the Earth’s crust. These cracks can cause earthquakes or landslides.
Earthquakes and landslides could cause severe damage in areas that they occur, and this could halt electricity production at a geothermal plant, which is not good for us because we rely on electricity for many basic things such as our heating system, phones, and home lights.
If there is no power, our lives would be severely affected because we wouldn’t have fuel or heat to keep us warm at night or cool during the summer season.
What Is Geothermal Energy
Geothermal energy is a renewable source of energy that is generated from the natural heat and thermal energy that is found in geologic areas. Geothermal power works by harnessing the Earth’s thermal energy, which makes it an environmentally-friendly source of electricity.
The heat from the Earth can be used to create gas, liquid, and steam which can then be used to generate electricity. This means that geothermal power stations are less vulnerable in areas where there are many earthquakes or volcanoes.
The Earth’s thermal energy can also be used to warm buildings or homes during colder months and cool buildings or homes during the summer months.
Less than 0.7% of the world’s geothermal electricity resources have been used in the United States; the vast bulk might be made accessible with Enhanced Geothermal System technology.
The Earth is a large body of land that is mainly made up of rocks and soil. Because this land has heat from within it, geothermal energy plants are able to tap into it and create electricity. These plants can be located near volcanoes, mountain ranges, or flat lands with minimal rock formations for them to work on.
Geothermal energy plants are able to tap into the Earth’s heat because the ground is porous so that water from rainwater seeps into it through the ground and forms small streams. This water then percolates through the cracks in the ground which is where the thermal energy comes from.
Importance Of Geothermal Energy
Geothermal energy can be used to heat and cool homes, and businesses that are too far away from cities to be connected to their electrical grids. This means that geothermal plants can be used in places like the United States, Europe, Asia and Africa where they have hot springs and other sources of heat beneath the Earth’s surface.
Geothermal plants are good for all communities no matter how large or small because they do not need any kind of fuel to produce all of their electricity, which makes them environmentally friendly.
The United States has the most operational geothermal electricity plants in 2016 with 3,812 MW, and development has been expanding at a pace of 2% each year.
There is a lot of interest in geothermal plants today because there are many benefits for homeowners, businesses, communities and even countries that use this source of energy instead of other sources like fossil fuels or solar panels.
Other renewable sources of energy are great for their individual purposes, but when it comes to geothermal plants there is no contest in terms of efficiency and generating electricity.
The future of this source of energy looks very bright because people from all walks of life, from governments, corporate leaders to citizens are making an effort to switch to this alternative source of power.
Geothermal Energy Pros
According to projections, the amount of electricity produced by geothermal plants will rise from 17 billion kWh in 2020 to 49.8 billion kWh in 2050.
Geothermal energy is a type of renewable energy that can be used to heat homes and businesses. Geothermal system use the earth’s natural heat to warm a building, and the ground underneath a home or business can act as a giant heat sink, helping to keep the building warm in the winter and cool in the summer. Geothermal heating is a clean and efficient way to heat and cool buildings, and it can also be used to generate electricity.
Benefits Of Geothermal Energy
Geothermal heat pump, also known as ground-source heat pumps, use the earth’s natural heat to provide heating, cooling, and hot water. Geothermal heat pumps are one of the most efficient and renewable energy sources available. They use the earth’s constant temperature to transfer heat to or from your home, which can result in significant savings on your energy bill.
1. Geothermal Energy Plant Is Environmentally-Friendly
Geothermal plants are able to filter the air around them because they are located on land with minimal soil and rock formations, which makes them more environmentally friendly than coal power stations and natural gas plants.
This means that geothermal plants have the potential to help reduce the amount of pollution in our atmosphere because it does not affect the Earth’s chemistry like other power sources can.
2. Geothermal Energy Plant Is Sustainable As It Is Renewable
This power source is renewable because it comes from the heat of the Earth, which can be produced for many years without any side effects on its environment or the animals that live in it.
The process of extracting energy from the heat of the Earth is done safely without any harmful chemicals or gases in its vicinity. This means that this energy source cannot be exhausted in our lifetime, but rather be sustained and increased over time.
3. Geothermal Energy Has Better Utility Than Other Sources Of Energy
Hawaii, Nevada, California, and Utah had the greatest installed geothermal energy capacity in 2016.
Geothermal energy plants are able to operate at peak performance because they can get the energy they will use from heat that is deeper in the core of the Earth. This means that geothermal plants are comparable to coal power stations and natural gas ones as they can also produce electricity continuously, but with no harm done to the environment or animals around it. While fossil fuels are extracted from Earth’s surface, geothermal energy is drawn from inside the soil and rocks making it 100% renewable.
4. Geothermal Power Plants Can Provide A Continuous Source Of Power
Geothermal plants can provide a continuous supply of electricity to our homes because they can generate heat and steam from the heat of the Earth. This means that geothermal plants are not affected by the weather or other external conditions as other sources of energy may be such as solar panels, wind turbines, and hydroelectric power station. Geothermal plants do not require much cooling when it begins to overheat which gives them the advantage over thermal plants.
5. Geothermal Energy Has The Lowest Amount Of Greenhouse Emissions
This source of power is good for our environment because it does not produce any harmful gases into Earth’s atmosphere like other power sources can do. Geothermal plants, especially their steam turbines are the least harmful to our environment making them a very environmentally friendly source of electricity.
6. Geothermal Energy Has Fewer Risks To The Human Body
Geothermal energy plants have limited access to fresh water because they are usually built on land with less rainfall, or on flat lands that has little soil or rock formations for them to consume water from and irrigate the land as well.
This means that geothermal plants have fewer risks for human health because there is no risk from contaminated water in their systems which can cause diseases when being used as drinking water supplies, or contaminates food we grow from farmlands near the geothermal plant.
7. Geothermal Power Stations Do Not Produce Greenhouse Gases
72% of the world’s installed geothermal power capacity was in the United States, Indonesia, the Philippines, Turkey, New Zealand, and Mexico in 2020.
Geothermal plants are very friendly to the environment because they do not produce any greenhouse emissions, or any other kind of emissions in the atmospherewhich can damage our ozone layer and contribute to climate change when they come in contact with it.
This means that geothermal plants can provide a continuous supply of electricity without contributing to global warming which is too much of a risk for humanity as a whole.
Geothermal power stations are considered to be the cleanest and most sustainable source of energy today, because they do not produce any harmful emissions that hurt the environment. This means that this source of energy can be sustained for many years to come and does not threaten the natural habitat of plants, animals, and people in any way.
8. Geothermal Power Stations Are Stable
Geothermal plants are able to remain stable in storm conditions because they do not operate on sunlight or wind like other renewable sources of power do. This means that geothermal plants use no fuel to produce electricity so they are not affected by wind turbine shutdowns or solar panels going dark due to the loss of sunlight.
9. Geothermal Plants Can Be Used To Heat And Cool Buildings
Geothermal plants do not need any external cooling systems or heaters like other sources of power do because they are already connected to the Earth’s core through their ground tunnels and can provide housing with heat as well as hot water to its inhabitants.
This means that geothermal plants have the potential to decentralize our power plants from cities, and into rural areas where people are not dependent on electricity supplies from large cities but instead consume it from their surrounding areas.
10. Geothermal Energy Is Cheaper
This source of power is cheaper than other sources because it does not require the use of fuel to produce electricity unlike other sources. For example a geothermal plant in Iceland can cost less than a coal power station in New England, but they can produce the same amount of energy as well.
This means that geothermal plants are better suited for smaller communities and households where there is no use for fossil fuels, or fossil fuel alternatives like solar panels or wind turbines because they are too erratic to function at peak efficiency, and they can be dangerous too.
Final Note
The future of geothermal energy is bright as it becomes a source for most countries in the world. Geothermal power plants can provide an excellent source of electricity to homes and small communities where no other kind of energy can be used.
Geothermal power plants can be used to produce heat from the Earth’s core that will be used to heat homes, schools and other buildings in remote areas far from the cities.
Last Updated on October 10, 2023 by Priyanshi Sharma
