RENEWABLE ENERGY "Renewable energy: Any energy resource that is naturally regenerated over a short time scale and derived directly from the sun (such as thermal, photochemical, and photoelectric), indirectly from the sun (such as wind, hydropower, and photosynthetic energy stored in biomass), or from other natural movements and mechanisms of the environment (such as geothermal and tidal energy). Renewable energy does not include energy resources derived from fossil fuels, waste products from fossil sources, or waste products from inorganic sources."

Laiba Anjum, Rabia Asad, Sababah, Nida

RENEWABLE AND NON RENEWABLE ENERGY

The resources that can be renewed by reproduction are called renewable energy resources. These are inexhaustible and do not get affected by the human activities such as sunlight, wind, water and bio feuls etc.

On the other hand;

Non-renewable energy resources are present in fixed quantitiesThese are exhaustible and get affected by human activities such as fossil fuels, gas, oil and coal, we would use up those resources long before they could ever be replaced naturally.

GEOTHERMAL Geothermal Energy is heat (thermal) derived from

the earth (geo) It is the thermal energy contained in the rock and fluid

(that fills the fractures and pores within the rock) in the earth's crust.

Calculations show that the earth, originating from a completely molten state, would have cooled and become completely solid many thousands of years ago without an energy input in addition to that of the sun. It is believed that the ultimate source of geothermal energy is radioactive decay occurring deep within the earth.

In most areas, this heat reaches the surface in a very diffuse state. However, due to a variety of geological processes, some areas, including substantial portions of many USA western states, are underlain by relatively shallow geothermal resources.

Manifestations

Sulfur

Hot Springs

Hot Ground

Geysers

Fumaroles

Dry Steam Power Plant

TurbineGenerator

SteamCondensedSteam (Water)

Electricity

Steam

Turbine Generator

Steam entry Coiled wirecylinder

Magneticfield

Turbineblades

Electricity

Steam outlet to condenser

GEOTHERMAL

Draw backs

Social issues

Environmental impacts

Economic impact

benefits

Potential impact

Geothermal

Potential Impacts The potential impacts of geothermal energy

development are discussed in this section. The significance of the impacts depends upon factors such the amount of land disturbed by drilling and construction activities, the number and size of well pads , the type of power plant technology used, the amount of land occupied by facilities over the life of the geothermal facility, and the facility's location with respect to other resources (e.g., other land uses , wildlife use, and distance to surface water bodies). Measures to avoid or mitigate impacts are identified in the Mitigation Measures section. Guidance on conducting impact assessments and identifying appropriate mitigation measures for specific projects is provided in the Project-Specific Impact Assessments section

Benefits 1. Significant Cost Saving : Geothermal energy

generally involves low running costs since it saves 80% costs over fossil fuels and no fuel is used to generate the power. Since, no fuel is require so costs for purchasing, transporting and cleaning up plants is quite low.

2. Reduce Reliance on Fossil Fuels : Dependence on fossil fuels decreases with the increase in the use of geothermal energy. With the sky-rocketing prices of oil, many countries are pushing companies to adopt these clean sources of energy. Burning of fossil fuels releases greenhouse gases which are responsible for global warming

Benefits

3. No Pollution : Geothermal systems does not create any pollution as it releases some gases from deep within the earth which are not very harmful to the environment

4. Direct Use : Since ancient times, people having been using this source of energy for taking bath, heating homes, preparing food and today this is also used for direct heating of homes and offices. This makes geothermal energy cheaper and affordable. Although the initial investment is quite steep but in the long run with huge cost saving it proves quite useful

5. Job Creation and Economic Benefits : Government of various countries are investing hugely in creation of geothermal energy which on other hand has created more jobs for the local people

Drawbacks

1. LocationWhile getting geothermal energy can seem as simple as

drilling wells into which to put pipes for putting in water and generating steam, finding suitable locations for these power plants is no easy task. The number of locations that can accommodate geothermal power plants is very limited. The location must have hot rocks so they can easily be drilled.

2. Amount of Power Generated Geothermal energy provides relatively smaller amount of

power compared with other energy sources. 3. Earthquakes Geothermal energy can also cause earthquakes.

Environmental Impacts

The most widely developed type of geothermal power plant (known as hydrothermal plants) are located near geologic “hot spots” where hot molten rock is close to the earth’s crust and produces hot water. In other regions enhanced geothermal systems (or hot dry rock geothermal), which involve drilling into Earth’s surface to reach deeper geothermal resources, can allow broader access to geothermal energy.

1.Water Quality and Use

2.Air Emissions

3.Land Use

4.Life-Cycle Global Warming Emissions

Social Impacts

Positive social impacts include:• Improved standards of living• Education and skill building• Livelihood development• Improved health and sanitation

Negative social impacts include:• Impacts on water for other uses such as drinking water or irrigation.• Impacts on cultural heritage sites• Negative impacts on landscape and recreational areas• Noise or disturbance• Ground subsidence or earthquakes

Possibility of Geothermal Power Plantstatus

No geothermal power work has been done in Pakistan . Pakistan is situated on the junction of tectonic plates of the sub continent and is rich in geothermal resources . Three parts of Pakistan i.e Kashmir , NWFP and Balochistan are the potential zones where geothermal resources are located . So far , no work has been done .

Bibliography

Weblinks:Google.comhttp://pbs.gov.pk/content/what-are-major-sector-economy-pakistanhttp://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/energy/great-energy-challenge/world-electricity-mix/