The world is at a crucial crossroads with the recent revelations that climate change and global warming are, in fact, most likely due to human activity on Earth. America is one of the leading culprits. And "the madman in charge of the country," as a swedish person I recently met affectionately referred to him, is looking to eliminate funding for geothermal research for the 2008 fiscal year.
Geothermal power is generated by taking heat from inside the earth, in the form of steam or water, which spins a turbine that creates power, and gives off less than half the carbon dioxide emissions than solar, wind, or nuclear power. Geothermal power isn't classified as a form of renewable energy, however, as the sources are capable of depletion, although not for many decades.
Geothermal plants require less land than any other type of power plant, and river damming and deforestation aren't necessary for the construction or process.
The US is currently the biggest producer of geothermal energy, producing 2700 megawatts of electricity, of the 7000 megawatts that 21 countries around the world create. According to the Geothermal Energy Association, the energy from geothermal resources was .36% of total energy resources in the US in 2005, and primarily came from California.
President Bush has made a commitment to combat global warming, but a representative for the Department of Energy says that funding should go toward cutting edge energy research and development. Over the past six years, funding for geothermal energy research averaged $26 million, but scientists say there is still a lot to be done with the resource. An MIT study claims that new geothermal plants could provide 100,000 megawatts of electricity by 2050, which is about equivalent to what US nuclear power plants make today. Over the next 15 years, geothermal development would need about $300-$400 million in order to compete with other types of energy. It looks like they'll need to make some friends in the Whitehouse.
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