There is increasing interest for geothermal energy spurring from all corners of the globe, and the number of geothermal energy countries is increasing according to the GEA (Geothermal Energy Association). 10,715 megawatts of geothermal power is currently being produced in 24 countries, and in 2010 it generated 67,246 GWh of electricity. This is a rise of about 20 percent since 2005. By 2015 the figure is expected to grow even more to 18,500 megawatts, since there is a variety of projects currently underway and many under consideration. Many of these projects are in areas that were before thought to have little resources to exploit.

The list of top 10 countries using geothermal energy is as follows (from highest to lowest):

The United States
Philippines
Indonesia
Mexico
Italy
New Zealand
Iceland
Japan
El Salvador
Kenya

It’s important to point out that even though Iceland is towards the bottom of the list, more than a quarter of this country’s electricity comes from geothermal sources. The United States is the leader by far in geothermal energy countries, and in 2010 its 77 power plants produced a total of 3,086 megawatts of installed capacity. A geothermal field in California called The Geysers holds the largest cluster of geothermal power plants on earth. The second country after the U.S. is the Philippines, with an online capacity of 1,904 megawatts. About 18 percent of the total electricity generated in the Philippines comes from geothermal power. You may nit have expect Kenya to have made this list, but this country is at the forefront in Africa when it comes to renewable energy. (To read about the main benefits of geothermal power, click here).

The current growth of geothermal power

The GEA found that while there was a lot of growth in existing countries using geothermal power, a huge increase in countries beginning to pursue projects with geothermal power has also occurred. There are currently 70 countries that have geothermal projects under consideration, which constitutes a 52 percent rise from the last GEA report in 2007.
Two regions of the world that are seeing the most growth in projects under development are Africa and Europe. In 2007, 6 African nations were identified, and now there are 11 that are working actively to produce geothermal energy. In Europe that number grew from 10 nations in 2007 to 24 nations in 2010, which is more than a two-fold increase.
The future of geothermal power

GEA’s executive director, Karl Gawell, says that we are only utilizing a small portion of our potential in geothermal energy. Even if the lowest possible projections were assumed for geothermal power, most nations do not utilize their geothermal energy resources to their fullest, if at all. In 1999 thirty-nine nations were identified, which could potentially provide 100 percent of their power from geothermal resources, which are domestic, clean, and renewable. However, only nine of these countries have geothermal power online. So, there is still a long way to go, but the development potential is huge. (To read about investing in geothermal stocks, click here).

For more information on geothermal energy, go to:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geothermal_power

We’ve all heard of wind, solar, and biomass, but can there be new alternative energy sources on the horizon? You bet there can! Two amazing new forms of alternative energy are currently being developed, and here are brief explanations of what they are.

1) Creating a star
This is probably one of the most extreme forms of alternative energy. It is believed to be a permanent solution to our planet’s energy shortages. Scientists are out to perform a very intense nuclear reaction – one that will actually create a star right on the Earth’s surface. This group of scientists is aiming to have the “star” harnessing energy as early as late summer 2011and resolve the global energy crisis once and for all. The method that will be used to harness this energy is nuclear fusion, which is considered to be a miracle power source by the scientific community.

A super-laser

The beam will be split into 192 beams, using a massive “super-laser”, which is equal to 3 football fields in size. These beams will all be aimed at one point, which is only about the size of a BB. Before this is to take place, the ‘BB’ point will be covered in tritium and deuterium, which are 2 reactive hydrogen isotopes to be taken out of seawater. A gold capsule is then used to surround the target. When the laser is fired, the result is that it will create a temperature hotter than the sun’s center! How much energy do you think that could generate?

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Future power sources 3 – Refuse Derived Fuel Process.
Using solid waste from landfills, this process helps recover fuel. This is a green type of fuel that could produce electricity by running generators. The RDF process separates waste and takes incombustible materials away. Then its size is altered and it is utilized as feedstock for the method of retrieving energy. The process requires delicate boilers to be in place in order to transform solid waste into fuel. Sound like a great idea, but the only stick in the wheels is the cost – the technology is expensive and very complex, so reliable investment is needed. We saw it in the film “Back to the future,” and the future is coming soon!

Future power sources 4 – Algae.

You may have already heard of this one. Algae is very good for generating biomass – it can do this better than any vegetable. All algae needs is sunlight, carbon dioxide, and water, and it can produce oil to be converted into biodiesel. The only catch is that algae needs more CO2 than there is in the air, so it has to be artificially created, but it can be easily solved by using special photobioreactors.

Future power sources 5 – Onions.

A company called Gills Onions is already using this vegetable as a power source. They have a system in place which can covert onion waste into biogas. It may be surprising to find out, but about one third of each onion is wasted. This can be used to make into juice, which is then burnt and used to run power their lighting and refrigerators. Not only are they using a clean energy source, but their savings on power bills amount to $700,000 annually! So, onions are definitely the vegetables of the future! Just cover you eyes.

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We’ve all heard of solar, wind, and ocean energy as renewable energy for the future, but is that going to be enough? You may have not heard about them, but there are lots other future power sources that are being developed as we speak. As you will see, some of them can definitely be categorized as weird! Here are five strange and unexpected sources of energy that we could be using in our lifetime:

Power Sources of the Future 1 – Urine.

Yes, urine! Extensive research is already underway about using urine as an energy source. The Bristol Robotics Lab has been working on creating a robot that will function solely on bacterial cultures and microbial fuel cells, which will create power from breaking down nutrients. This, in turns, transforms the waste product into a source of energy! The lab experts claim that urine is rich in nitrogen and chemically very active. It is also full of compounds that make it an excellent candidate for making microbial fuel cells.

Power Sources of the Future 2 – Vibration.

Everything around us is already made of vibrational energy – it’s just a matter of figuring out how to convert that energy into usable power. Several experiments to attempt this have already been performed. For example, in Japan the vibrational energy created by pedestrians walking the streets is used for generating electricity, which is then used for streetlight power. Some products that are charged by vibration are already on the market, like MP3 players that are charged by a simple shake.

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One of the most non-polluting and also the cheapest sources of power is hydroelectricity. It’s true that it may cause some initial ecological damage, but it has much better compatibility with the climate than other major forms of energy, such as coal, gas, nuclear power, and others. For some top hydroelectric power countries like China and India, which have enormous energy needs, hydroelectric energy sources are the only remaining options among the sources that do not contribute to global warming. (Is global warming fake? Read here – click here).

Hydroelectric power production began on a small-scale basis. The main advantage of hydroelectric energy sources and hydroelectric power plants in general is their extremely long life span. Some of these existing plants are 50 or even 100 years old, and they are still producing electricity. So, as it currently stands, the world is producing large quantities of hydroelectric energy, some reaching production to hundreds of megawatts. Certain hydroelectric power plants have a capacity of some 10,000 megawatts, which on their own can meet the energy needs of millions of people. (To read about the advantages of hydroelectric power, click here).

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory carried out a survey, which concluded that all hydroelectric power plants worldwide have a total electricity production capacity of 6,750,000 megawatts. This capacity translates to an annual 2.3 trillion kilowatt-hours of electricity, and it is enough to meet the electricity needs of almost a quarter of today’s global population (over a billion people).

The U.S. alone has more than 2000 large, medium, and small-scale hydroelectric power plants. Hydropower in the United States comprises almost half of the renewable energy sources’ total installed capacity. In 1920, about 16 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity was produced by hydroelectric power plants. In 1999 this figure increased to 306 billion kilowatt-hours due to the formation of efficient commissions as steps taken by the U.S. government.

Many countries in the world are striving to utilize renewable energy (To find out about the top 8 clean sources of energy to replace oil by 2050, click here) in an efficient way, and have high hopes for hydroelectric power towards the middle of the century. However, today’s hydroelectric production is dominated mainly by a few nations. The following is a list of nine top hydroelectric power countries:

1 – China – currently a leader with 171 gigawatts of installed hydroelectric capacity.
2 – Canada – 90 gigawatts
3 – The United States – 79 gigawatts
4 – Brazil – 70 gigawatts
5 – Russia – 45 gigawatts
6 – India – 33 gigawatts
7 – Norway – 28 gigawatts. It’s worthy to point out that even though Norway is toward the bottom of this list, it produces more than 98 percent of the country’s electricity from hydroelectric plans; whereas China, while being at the top for installed capacity, produces less than 18 percent of its total electricity from hydroelectric power.
8 – Japan – 27 gigawatts
9 – Venezuela – 15 gigawatts.

For more information on hydroelectric power, go to:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydroelectricity
http://www.therenewableenergycentre.co.uk/hydroelectric-power/

The interest in wind energy as a renewable energy supply in the U.S. has risen substantially over the last few years. The completed capacity in the U.S. installed capacity was over 40,000 megawatts at the end of 2010, which puts it at number 2 behind China. Currently, 3 percent of the total electricity generated in the U.S. is derived from wind power.

The benefits of wind farms
Wind power is a renewable resource that is very clean, is available domestically, and this  can substantially help the United States meet its economic and energy needs. The wind industry in the U.S. generates billions of dollars through economic activity, as well as tens of thousands of jobs. Local taxes are boosted via wind energy projects in the U.S..  Rural community local economies are revitalized, since farmers get a steady stream of income just by putting turbines on their land. The largest turbine manufacturer that works domestically is GE Energy. (To read more about the benefits of wind power click here).
Wind farms in the United States are spreading. For 2011 there wer 5,600 megawatts worth of projects implemented. The US Department of Energy claims that wind energy in the U.S. will supply as much as 20 percent of the country’s electricity needs by 2030. (To read about alternative energy finding in the US click here).
The largest wind farm in the US
There are many wind farms in the United States. The world’s largest is in Texas – the Roscoe Wind Farm – and it has a capacity of 781.5 megawatts. It consists of 627 Mitsubishi, General Electric, and Siemens powered wind turbines. In 2009 this wind farm surpassed the Horse Hollow Wind Energy Center. Four Texas counties are involved in this wind project, which covers an area roughly the size of Manhattan.

More approved wind farms in the U.S.
Another wind farm in the US that was approved is located 5 miles off the coast of Massachusetts, a project that faced years of opposition from local Native American tribes. This is considered by supporters to be an enormous step for alternative energy in the U.S.. Although its production is considered rather small, the facility is projected to generate enough electricity for 400,000 houses. The fact that this got approved is quite encouraging for other offshore wind projects awaiting approval for the Great Lakes, and more for the East Coast.

Lake Erie is the next one to host one of the initial US wind farms. Plans have been underway for a long time now to build a wind power site somewhere on the Great Lakes. It all started with the MOU – the Memorandum of Understanding – which was signed by the Lake Erie Energy Development Corporation and GE Energy.

In the last few years the wind energy generation in the United States increased by 27 percent, which is about 2 percent of the total supplied electricity in the country. 85,000 jobs in the U.S. are supported by wind power. So, renewable energy projects like wind farms not only helps combat climate change, but they also play a key role in economic recovery by creating more jobs.
The U.S. states that are showing the greatest growth in wind power are: Texas, Iowa, California, Minnesota and Illinois. The U.S. states that are benefiting the most through use of current wind power productions are: Iowa, North Dakota, Minnesota, South Dakota and Kansas.

The offshore wind sector in Scotland is taking off. Recent reports by the European Commission show that, as of February 2011, the Scotland wind farms industry has been given a huge boost thanks to a promise of $45 billion in green investments over the next ten years.

This could well turn this industry into a major part of Scotland’s economy. The government has given its commitment to the industry, and the next ten years the technology Scotland wind farms is going to develop, and the installed capacity is set to increase dramatically. In the next decade, it is estimated that 26,000 jobs good be created in Scotland in the green energy sector.

So who are the major players in the wind farm investment sector in Scotland?

Gamesa is one of the big companies with grand plans for Scotland. It has announced that in Glasgow it will construct an offshore wind technology center, and in Dundee it will begin manufacturing turbines.

Mitsubishi Power Systems Europe is another company with big green investment plans for Scotland. It will invest more than $150 million into an offshore wind research and development center, with the intention of creating a mass production facility for low-cost offshore wind technology.

Scotland is set to play a key role in the development of green energy production in Europe, and this has been recognized by the report by the European Commission, in which it praised Scotland’s desire to become a major force in the offshore wind farm industry. The report highlighted that Europe needs an integrated grid so that it will be easier for countries to purchase renewable energy from each other. In fact Scotland is working to create a North Sea grid, along with 9 other countries, so that it can export excess power.

Scotland is a perfect example of how offshore wind farms, wave, tidal and onshore potentials can be combined to produce a large amount of power. Experts have calculated that by 2050, the offshore capacities in Scotland will reach an impressive 68 gigawatts. Green investors will do well to research further into the companies such as Gamesa and Mitsubishi Power Systems Europe, as their prospects look very bright indeed.

For more information on wind farms, go to:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wind_power,
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wind_farm

There is a lot of heat under the surface of our planet. In fact, 47 percent of the solar energy received by the earth is stored under its surface. This is a great natural source for residential geothermal heating and cooling. Geothermal heating systems can also provide hot water that will cost you almost nothing, as well as superior dehumidification for your home. Geothermal home heating and cooling is a breakthrough on the renewable energy front, especially its cooling aspects.

The technology behind using geothermal to cool your home is much the same as that in your refrigerator. It is referred to as a geothermal system heat pump, and is also referred to as earth source heat pump or ground source heat pump. This system simply reverses the heating effects to provide cooling during the summer months, and it does so with twice the efficiency of a regular AC unit. This is a wonderful addition to climate control at home.

Geothermal heat pumps work in a similar way to traditional heat pumps, but rather than use the heat from air found outside, they use the earth’s heat, which is even and stable, and can provide heat, hot water, and air conditioning. A substance referred to as a refrigerant moves the heat. When this substance is compressed, it is a high-pressure liquid and results in high temperatures. If it expands, however, it turns into low-pressure gas, which results in low temperatures.

The principle behind residential geothermal heating and cooling is very similar to cave temperatures. The air in a cave is always the same temperature, no matter the season. So, in summer it feels cold when you enter it, but in winter it feels quite warm. Geothermal pumps also aim to keep the temperature in your home steady. So, in the winter when it is cold outside, they take the earth’s heat and move it into your home. In the summer when it is hot, they remove the earth’s heat from your home straight back into the ground.

Studies have been conducted, which demonstrate that 70 percent of geothermal home heating and cooling in the U.S. could viably come from renewable energy from underneath the earth. It does of-course cost a significant sum to install a geothermal system, but in the long run it can save you a lot of money, providing 30 to 40 percent savings on your monthly energy bills. Geothermal energy pumps have low maintenance costs because the outside parts of the system are located well underground so they are protected from harsh weather conditions, and also because they are very simple mechanically.

For more information on geothermal energy, go to:
en.wikipedia.org,
geothermal.org

Power plants are designed to convert heat to electricity, whether they are fueled by gas, nuclear power, coal, or geothermal energy. In the case of geothermal energy, the earth’s heat is accessed by drilling steam or water wells (‘geo’ means ‘earth’ and ‘thermal’ means ‘heat’). This process is quite similar to oil drilling.

Geothermal power plants are quite similar to traditional power-generating stations. Many of the same components are used, like transformers, generators, turbines, and various other equipment for generating electricity. There are various types of geothermal power plants, but the underlying concept is the same for all of them, much like for nuclear power plants, for example.

Geothermal energy power plants provide a promising future. There is a huge amount of geothermal energy available in the United States, and water and steam reservoirs cover only a small bit of the all the geothermal resources available. Hot dry rocks and the earth’s magma will provide clean, cheap, and virtually unlimited supply of energy, as soon as the technology to convert is properly developed.

However, before this happens and geothermal energy becomes a key component in the energy infrastructure of the United States, it has to be competitive in terms of costs with traditional energy forms. This should not be difficult to accomplish, since the U.S. geothermal activity is very high and deserves consideration. In 2010, 77 geothermal power plants in the U.S. have generated 3,086 megawatts of installed capacity, making it a world leader in geothermal electricity production.

The Geysers, which is California’s largest geothermal field, is the location of the largest cluster of geothermal energy power plants worldwide. An average of 15 billion kilowatt hours of geothermal electricity is generated by the United States annually, compared to burning 25 million barrels of oil annually, or burning 6 million tons of coal. The western states hold the largest concentration of geothermal power plants, which are currently the fourth larges renewable energy source after hydroelectric, wind energy, and biomass. Geothermal resource assessments that have been recently conducted show that the nine western states put together could potentially supply more than 20 percent of the total electricity needs of the country.

However, the United States is not the only country where geothermal power plants are the new big thing. In the U.K., although a relatively new concept, geothermal power plants are in the pipeline, with engineers drilling deep into the Earth’s crust for this clean unlimited energy. There is a huge amount of natural heat buried deep under Britain’s surface – about three miles. Experts say that the geothermal potential under Cornwall alone could be used to supple about 10 percent of the electricity needs of the whole country.

For more information, go to:
en.wikipedia.org,
www1.eere.energy.gov

There is a large number of geothermal energy uses, such as to heat and cool homes and offices, and to provide the energy to run power stations. One of its lesser known uses is in the food processing industry. This energy intensive sector can benefit greatly from this renewable energy source. The immediate question most people ask is what kind of geothermal applications this industry has.

The heated steam that geothermal provides can be used to sterilize rooms and equipment. In addition to being a green source of energy, this geothermal application would negate the need to use nasty chemicals to do this job, as is common practice now. Mainly though, the endless heat from geothermal energy can be put to a whole variety of good uses, such as to dry out plants, and then make powders and concentrates, as well as to cook foods as part of the preparation process. This would otherwise be more expensive to do with traditional energy forms.

The reality:

In Gunion, in the middle of nowhere, Nevada, there is an unexpected surprise. The company Integrated Ingredients is operating a spice processing plant there, which is running on geothermal energy. The company has 76 employees, which work round the clock to dehydrate onion and garlic. The plant is located very far from any towns, as there is an abundance of geothermal energy, and this is utilized to provide clean and green power to the entire factory. Hot water is pumped up from underground (via two 700 meter wells) and then used in the dehydration process. After being used in this process, it is then released back into the ground. The onion and garlic is the milled into powder and sold.

This factory is a state-of-the-art facility, which works on minimal energy costs, and which provides a product which would be difficult to produce in urban centers due to the smell is causes.

The potential:

India’s food industry is huge. The total market including processing is estimated at $70 billion a year, and is growing fast as export demands increase. The country is attracting billions of dollars in investment in order to streamline the industry, which is suffering from high wastage due to lack of lack or infrastructure. The storage and processing facilities are completely inadequate.

It takes an enormous amount of energy to minimize wastage and produce a finished product. If India is going to be able to compete with the international market, it needs to reduce the costs of this energy. This could be done by utilizing the country’s vast geothermal potential. For instance, to dehydrate a kilo of pineapples, it would cost 90 units using geothermal energy, and 4950 units using conventional energy (figures from the food processing industry in Guatemala). Most food processors agree that using geothermal saves about 80 percent of the costs on fuel, and out 5-8 percent of total costs.

India is a good example of a country which could have the potential to benefit greatly from the use of geothermal applications in food processing. The question is though, will there be the will to actually realize this potential? I truly hope so.

As you can see, there are many geothermal energy uses in the food processing industry, and in certain parts of the world, such as Nevada, is a reality which is with us right now and which is reducing the impact of the indusry on the environment, and reducing costs! In other parts of the world, such as India, the potential is there and is vast, but it remains to be seen if it is utilized in the next few years.

For more information on geothermal energy, go to:
en.wikipedia.org,
www1.eere.energy.gov