engine of souls | forum 2

Cara · Member

Affirmative Reasearch

Cara · Member

Clean. Geothermal power plants, like wind and solar power plants, do not have to burn fuels to manufacture steam to turn the turbines. Generating electricity with geothermal energy helps to conserve nonrenewable fossil fuels, and by decreasing the use of these fuels, we reduce emissions that harm our atmosphere. There is no smoky air around geothermal power plants -- in fact some are built in the middle of farm crops and forests, and share land with cattle and local wildlife. For ten years, Lake County California, home to five geothermal electric power plants, has been the first and only county to meet the most stringent governmental air quality standards in the U.S. Easy on the land. The land area required for geothermal power plants is smaller per megawatt than for almost every other type of power plant. Geothermal installations don't require damming of rivers or harvesting of forests -- and there are no mine shafts, tunnels, open pits, waste heaps or oil spills.

Reliable. Geothermal power plants are designed to run 24 hours a day, all year. A geothermal power plant sits right on top of its fuel source. It is resistant to interruptions of power generation due to weather, natural disasters or political rifts that can interrupt transportation of fuels.

Flexible. Geothermal power plants can have modular designs, with additional units installed in increments when needed to fit growing demand for electricity.

Keeps Dollars at Home. Money does not have to be exported to import fuel for geothermal power plants. Geothermal "fuel'" - like the sun and the wind - is always where the power plant is; economic benefits remain in the region and there are no fuel price shocks.

The United States alone produces 2700 megawatts of electricity from geothermal energy, electricity comparable to burning sixty million barrels of oil each year.

Geothermal district heating systems pump geothermal water through a heat exchanger, where it transfers its heat to clean city water that is piped to buildings in the district. There, a second heat exchanger transfers the heat to the building's heating system. The geothermal water is injected down a well back into the reservoir to be heated and used again. The first modern district heating system was developed in Boise, Idaho. (In the western U.S. there are 271 communities with geothermal resources available for this use.)

Since it started using geothermal energy as its main source of heat Reykjavik, (Iceland) once very polluted, has become one of the cleanest cities in the world.

New Mexico and other places rows of pipes carrying geothermal water have been installed under soil, where flowers or vegetables are growing. This ensures that the ground does not freeze, providing a longer growing season and overall faster growth of agricultural products that are not protected by the shelter and warmth of a greenhouse.

[I]n Klamath Falls, Oregon, which has one of the largest district heating systems in the U.S., geothermal water is also piped under roads and sidewalks to keep them from icing over in freezing weather. The cost of using any other method to keep hot water running continuously through cold pipes would be prohibitive.

Today, with geothermal heat pumps (GHP's), we take advantage of this stable earth temperature - about 45 - 58 degrees F just a few feet below the surface - to help keep our indoor temperatures comfortable. GHP's circulate water or other liquids through pipes buried in a continuous loop (either horizontally or vertically) next to a building. Depending on the weather, the system is used for heating or cooling.

Heating: Earth's heat (the difference between the earth's temperature and the colder temperature of the air) is transferred through the buried pipes into the circulating liquid and then transferred again into the building.

Cooling: During hot weather, the continually circulating fluid in the pipes 'picks up' heat from the building - thus helping to cool it - and transfers it into the earth. In the U.S., the temperature inside over 300,000 homes, schools and offices is kept comfortable by these energy saving systems, and hundreds of thousands more are used worldwide. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has rated GHP's as among the most efficient of heating and cooling technologies.

-Geothermal Education Office, December 23,2000 http://www.geothermal.marin.org/pwrheat.html#top

Not only are the systems much cleaner than fossil fuels but they also provide a continuous flow of energy all at a competitive prices.

"Geothermal energy could play an important role in our national energy picture as a non-carbon-based energy source," says Nafi Toksoz, professor of geophysics at MIT. "It's a very large resource and has the potential to be a significant contributor to the energy needs of this country." Geothermal now provides less than 1 percent of the world's power, he says, although could supply as much as 20 percent in the coming decades.

Professor Jeff Tester and panel member David Blackwell, professor of geophysics at Southern Methodist University in Texas, also point out that geothermal resources are available nationwide. [U]nlike wind and solar systems, a geothermal plant works night and day."This environmental advantage is due to low emissions and the small overall footprint of the entire geothermal system, which results because energy capture and extraction is contained entirely underground, and the surface equipment needed for conversion to electricity is relatively compact," says MIT Engineering Professor JeffTester.

P.S. Affirmatives, could you all please post the definitions you got? Because there's legit no one in class today. XD

Cara · Member

energy that is not popularly used and is usually environmentally sound, such as solar or wind energy (as opposed to fossil fuels).
www.nrdc.org/reference/glossary/a.asp
Energy from a source other than the conventional fossil-fuel sources of oil, natural gas and coal (ie, wind, running water, the sun). Also referred to as "alternative fuel."
www.iagreen.com/glossary.htm
sources of energy that do not depend of fossil fuels. alternative energy comes from nuclear reactors and renewable energy sources.
www.geocities.com/Area51/Labyrinth/2985/diction.html
Energy derived from nontraditional sources (eg, compressed natural gas, solar, hydroelectric, wind). 5
www.epa.gov/climatechange/glossary.html
Fuel sources that are other than those derived from fossil fuels. Typically used interchangeably for renewable energy. Examples include: wind, solar, biomass, wave and tidal energy.
www.mms.gov/offshore/AlternativeEnergy/Definitions.htm
includes all energy sources and energy technologies that minimize environmental impacts relative to conventional hydrocarbon resources and technology.
www.vpl.ca/bcscienceclusters/glossary.html
Energy from sources that do not produce harmful emissions. For example, unconventional power from the sun, wind or running water. ([Click here] to learn more about alternative sources of energy.
www.dosomething.org/tipsheets/terms_energy_conservation
Renewable energy sources, such as wind, flowing water, solar energy and biomass, which create less environmental damage and pollution than fossil fuels, and offer an alternative to nonrenewable resources.
www.environment.nelson.com/0176169040/glossary.html
Energy from sources other than fossil fuels (coal, natural gas), such as renewable sources like wind, sun, or running water. Solar panels are a common way to collect the sun's energy.
www.frontdoor.com/news/article/1547
forms, especially relaxing nuclear power regulations; and development of hydrogen as an economically viable energy platform
www.nationmaster.com/encyclopedia/32nd-G8-summit
Energy obtained from sources other than fossil fuels or nuclear power. The sources generally have low pollution implications and use renewable ...
wps.pearsoned.co.uk/wps/media/objects/2768/2834452/glossary/glossary.html
Energy generated from alternatives to fossil fuel. Need not be renewable.
www.torridge.gov.uk/onlineplan/written/cpt28.htm
Energy derived from non-fossil-fuel sources.
econews.uz/econews/rus/lib/ANG/-A-/SLoAl.htm
Energy derived from sources that have little or no impact on the environment and produce no net greenhouse gas emissions in generating electricity. Such sources include wind and solar.
s220352448.onlinehome.us/2008/04/10/greenspeak-glossary/
energy derived from sources that do not use up natural resources or harm the environment
wordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webwn
Alternative energy is a term used for some energy source that is an alternative to using fossil fuels. Generally, it indicates energies that are non-traditional and have low environmental impact. ...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alternative energy
Energy derived from any source other than fossil fuels; Energy derived from any renewable source; i.e other than fossil fuels or nuclear fission
en.wiktionary.org/wiki/alternative energy

Cara · Member

Need Arguments

Why do we need an alternative energy source? The answer is simple, and comes in two parts, based upon ecology's two principle criteria for distinguishing between eco-friendly and ecologically destructive technologies. First, none of our major energy sources are sustainable. Second, almost all of our major energy sources pollute the environment.

Nuclear power, for example, is widely touted by some as a "solution" to global warming because it creates no greenhouse emissions. It does, however, create toxic nuclear waste which is deadly to all life for thousands of years.

The first problem with fossil fuels is that they are not a sustainable source of energy. Fossil fuels are essentially ancient organic material which has been transformed by various geological processes into combustible form. Thus, they truly are "fossils" of ancient organic life. The problem is that all exist in limited quantities, which are used up as they are consumed.

petroleum is not likely to last until the end of the present century. It will also become increasingly expensive as demand exceeds supply.

Less well known, and more insidious, is the fact that ground water is being polluted by petroleum, as Sampat (2000) points out. This is due to our habit of building underground storage tanks for gasoline at fueling stations. When these tanks develop slow leaks it is often undetected for a long period of time. Even when it is detected, it is often not fixed. The slow leak of petrochemicals ends up in underground water reservoirs, or "aquifers." and depending on their recharge rate (the time it takes to flush them with new water), could remain so for centuries.

A recent study of air quality in several major cities in North America concluded that fossil fuel pollution outdoors is comparable to second hand smoke indoors as a potential cause of lung cancer.

Coal is also particularly high in particulates, and prolonged exposure to particulate pollution can cause a variety of health effects, including respiratory and cardiovascular problems such as asthma, emphysema, bronchitis, lung cancer and heart disease.

The world's ten most polluted cities, mostly in China, are all heavy coal users. Globally, it is estimated that particulates and other pollutants from coal and other fossil fuels continue to cause about 500,000 premature deaths, and millions of respiratory illnesses per year.

Acid rain is caused by the release of various compounds which cause changes in the pH of soils and water bodies. These include sulfur dioxide (SO2) from the burning of coal, as well as Nitrogen Oxides (NOx: NO, NO2, NO3) from the burning of fossil fuels and all other combustion...Acid rain has also lead to the decline of forests throughout much of Europe, as well as the NE United States and Eastern Canada.Forests continue to decline and many lakes and rivers suffering from acid stress will take years to recover, assuming that the problem is someday solved, because acid rain can literally kill lakes.

Finally, burning fossil fuels also contributes to the formation of ground-level ozone, or smog. Ozone is O3, so NO3 breaks down into nitrogen and ozone, with the latter being bad for the health of humans and other animals. Thus, while nitrogen, carbon dioxide and pH have optimum ranges, ozone has an optimum /location/ within the biosphere: namely in the upper atmosphere or stratosphere, where it protects us from harmful ultraviolet radiation. In the lower atmosphere, or troposphere, it becomes a pollutant.

-Why we need an alternative energy source
By Roy C Dudgeon
http://www.helium.com/items/851120-why-we-need-an-alternative-energy-source