Geothermal energy still steamin’ hot
By jmara
Friday, May 16th, 2008 at 1:57 pm in General.
Geothermal energy supplies some 3 percent of California’s energy, so it’s always surprising to us what a low profile it has. Generating energy from the steam arising deep within the earth, the amount of pollutants produced by this form of generation is minimal.
Fresh evidence that geothermal energy is hot: Santa Rosa-based ThermaSource LLC, a geothermal drilling, engineering and consulting company, is expanding its operations. The company has raised $93 million over the past two years, including $41 million last month. It expects to double employment, from 200 currently to more than 420 by the end of the year, as it expands operations in California and Nevada, and moves into the Caribbean.
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June 26th, 2008 at 9:14 am
I checked Wilkepedia.com about greenhouse gases. I was surprised to learn that water vapor is 60-70% responsible for the greenhouse gases. Yes, water vapor is a greenhouse gas. Carbon dioxide is responsible for only 10%. It made me wonder about geothermal energy… Also about catayltic converters found in practically all cars and trucks today since they are mandated beginning back in 1975. Catalytic converters generates (converts) engine smog into water vapor (well most of it) to reduce air pollution. Are we pumping so much man made water vapor into our atmosphere? Should we contain all the sources of water vapor with vapor condensation devices to prevent water vapor from escaping into the atmosphere ??
July 25th, 2008 at 2:04 pm
Various gases have varying absorption characteristics. If you are concerned about global warming and believe in the greenhouse gas theory of it, you have to look at methane. Methane is a smaller part of the atmosphere, but is 23 times the greenhouse gas that carbon dioxide is. Livestock contribute more to global warming than all the worlds transportation. (reference: United Nations report, Nov 2006).
July 30th, 2008 at 10:55 am
Well, farmers are starting to capture methane gas on farms . Now lets move on other greenhouse issues, will we? Look, water vapor is a serious greenhouse issue. Water vapor give turbo effect to carbon dioxide a more permanent greenhouse gas than water vapor itself. Mankind is generating a godawful lot of water vapor . Look at lightyears of open water canals evaporating under sun exposure where they should be piped in to farms where it is irrigrated . Farmers can do their part to conserve water by pipe more of the main water lines. We cant do much about open irrigrated rows but we can do a lot to cover the wide open water canals found all over the world. If you point to the vast oceans with all the water vapor going on over there, I would answer that it is a natural delicate balance being upsetted by mankind’s maninpulations of water resources like open canals, reservoirs, swimming pools, catayltic converters, industrious uses, you name it. We have to look more closely to where we are generating water vapor and cap them. I think this is the main way to deal with our greenhouse issue, who knows.. Carbon dioxide can be dealt with more plantings even though we have more plants than ever. We consume oxygen much faster than we plant trees and grasses to soak up the carbon gunk …
September 2nd, 2008 at 9:43 am
Geothermal energy is used more than people realize and I think it is only going to increase in its use in the near future. With gas constantly rising in price this seems like a viable alternative that will not follow gas prices as they continually rise.