As the hot topic of the impending necessity for the United States to develop domestic resources for alternative energy is discussed, many companies are refining their roles in the energy industry to strive toward a common goal of providing the U.S. with independence from foreign fuel sources while reducing the negative impact traditional energy conversion has had on the global environment. The most obvious sources of renewable energy that can be harnassed and converted to heat and electricity for commercial and residential use are solar energy, wind energy and oceanic wave energy.

Another valuable source of potential energy is the process of extracting natural hot water reservoirs from the earths underlayers and pumping them to the earth’s surface to be used as insulating conduit inside of walls and floors. This process is called geothermal energy, and was first tested for viability in 1904 in Italy, although to date, only 1% of the worlds total energy use is being propagated by geothermal technology. Currently the world’s largest geothermal energy plant is located north of San Francisco in California. The power plant taps into the Geysers as it’s source of renewable energy and is responsible for providing 60 percent of all of the energy consumed by the coastal region of California.

Geothermal energy is extremely cost effective, in that no method of heating the water is necessary, there is no purchasing of fuel required and there is an unlimited heat source deep in the earth’s mantle. The only cost involved in the use of geothermal energy is in construction of the power plants necessary for boring into the earth and the equipment required for extraction of the energy source. Furthermore, the processing of geothermal energy creates no dangerous emissions. There is a mild environmental argument that holds that if geothermal energy is mined for on a mass scale, there may be considerable damage done to the outer layers of the earth’s crust, which can eventually affect the plate tectonics of our planet. As the technology advances, though, less invasive methods for extracting the necessary components will make this form of energy more ecologically feasible and available on a wide basis.

Geothermal energy can be harvested for use in several forms. The hot beds under the earths outer layers contain hot water, gas and molten rock, all of which can be “mined”, so to speak, and used in their various forms to heat homes, commercial buildings, and public walkways to prevent snow and ice build up.

When converted correctly, geothermal energy produces no polluting emmisions into the water or air environments. Also among the benefits of geothermal energy production are the traits of the energy power plants themselves, which generally only require a small building footprint and are a self-sufficient source of energy that has little impact on the landscape environment.

As is the case with any new form of energy, or new process for harnessing energy, it is of vital importance that steps are taken to insure the proper drilling and conversion of geothermal energy. Improper drilling can release hazardous chemical and gases from the earth which can be potentially dangerous to surrounding life as well as the overall atmosphere.