Geothermal Energy Pros and Cons List

There is no such thing as a completely perfect source of energy. Geothermal energy, however, has taken on a certain status. A form of energy that exists naturally within the Earth almost seems too good to be true. Even better still, the amount of geothermal energy contained underground is said to equal roughly 80 million oil barrels. So what are the pros and cons?

List of Pros of Geothermal Energy

1. Limitless Supply
The sheer amount of geothermal energy is essentially endless. Simply drill a hole into the ground, send blasts of water down into the hole, wait for the steam to rise, then use a turbine to run the steam. Obviously, it is a little more complex than that, but compared to other forms of energy, geothermal is easier to come by and simpler to harness.

2. Less Fuel Needed
Other forms of energy require mining, which leads to an increased reliance on fuel to get the job done. Transportation also typically comes into play, but with geothermal energy, there is no fuel required and no transportation necessary.

3. Technology Continues To Advance
In time, the temperature of an area will not matter. New technology advances are being made daily, which should lead to the ability to utilize lower overall temperatures.

4. Smallest Footprint
Extracting geothermal energy causes the smallest possible land footprint, as opposed to other means of obtaining energy, such as fracking or oil drilling. Geothermal energy is proven to have the smallest land footprint of all power sources.

5. Reliability
Solar energy and wind energy are both popular forms of alternative fueling, but they are also not reliable. The sun and wind are not guaranteed to arrive at the same time each day, whereas geothermal energy rests beneath Earth’s surface, just waiting to be accessed.

List of Cons of Geothermal Energy

1. All Locations Can’t Be Used
Technology has begun to make the sort of advances that will allow drillers to access geothermal energy in colder areas, but at the moment, geothermal energy extraction is location specific and cannot be done in every region.

2. Emissions
Emissions are limited when it comes to geothermal energy, but that does not mean that they have been eradicated completely. Silica and sulfur dioxide emissions remain as an unpleasant side effect.

3. Usage Of Water
In a country that is experiencing widespread droughts, it is difficult to justify geothermal energy drilling in all instances. The amount of water used for the projects is staggering and can have a serious effect on a community’s reserves.

4. Construction Costs
The costs of construction for geothermal energy projects are quite high, as technology has not caught up yet to lower the price. While geothermal drilling is deceptively simple, coming up with the necessary funding is not.