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"A geothermal heating system uses pipes buried more than four feet deep in the earth. That is another reason why it's important for adults to call 811 before they dig in their yard so they don't hit buried piping. The system pumps a liquid through the pipes to absorb the heat and brings it back indoors. A device called a "heat exchanger" takes the heat from the liquid and uses it to heat the air inside the home."

"The fuel cell is being considered as an eventual replacement for the internal combustion engine for cars, trucks and buses. Major car manufacturers have teamed up with fuel cell research centers or are doing their own development. There are plans for mass-producing cars running on fuel cells. Because of the low operating cost of the combustion engine, and some unresolved technical challenges of the fuel cell, however, experts predict that a large scale implementation of the fuel cell to power cars will not occur before 2015, or even 2020."

where geothermal energy comes from

"The first fuel cell was built in 1839 by Sir William Grove, a Welsh judge and gentleman scientist, who conducted dozens of experiments using his "gas battery."  More than a century later, equipment manufacturer Allis Chalmers plowed a Wisconsin alfalfa field using fuel cell-powered tractor (1959).  Serious interest in the fuel cell as a practical energy generator did not begin until the 1960′s, when the U.S. space program chose fuel cells over riskier nuclear power and more expensive solar energy, using fuel cells to furnish power for the Gemini and Apollo spacecraft and electricity and water for the space shuttle.  Also in the 1960s, the first passenger vehicle, a prototype van, was built by GM (1966); major auto manufacturers began more concerted fuel cell development efforts in the 1990s."

"Advantages: Solar power gives you a return on your investment, while paying your utility for electricity gives you 0% return. Solar energy is renewable unlike the conventional resources (coal, oil) which will inevitably run out. Non-polluting, no carbon dioxide like fossil fuels Free except for capital expenses. Longevity - solar panels can last over twenty years Low maintenance - solar panels require very little upkeep Independence - an off-grid system allows you to break free from the electrical grid Environmentally friendly because the conversion of energy doesn't produce any carbon dioxide. It comes from the sun, which, unless you are in The South or North pole, comes out almost everyday Solar power is better for the environment, compared to burning fossil fuels and other electrical power. sun is renewable You get clean energy without harming the environment [in term of carbon emissions] , in certain countries, excessive power generated can be sold back to local electricity provider reduces pollution helps create jobs - shores up economy - to build -> you hire - innovate-maintain - basically economic activities reduced dependence on fossil fuels Once installed, the power is free It is environmentally friendly and no pollution is associated with solar power You can sell your excess power back to the power companies It can be installed anywhere You can use batteries to store power for use at night Energy from the sun is renewable, that is, it keeps on coming It is free It does no damage to the earth or its atmosphere It produces no carbon dioxide It doesn't have to be dug up from the ground like coal, oil, natural gas, or uranium It doesn't have to be cut down, like wood from forests. It produces clean, green power in the form of electricity and can be used to power just about everything we need. There is more solar energy landing on the earth every day than it would take to supply the world for a year. Solar energy can heat swimming pools, power calcul

"Such a system, experts say, would effectively eliminate most of the benefits offered by hydrogen. Although the fuel-cell cars themselves may emit nothing but water vapor, the process of producing the fuel cells from hydrocarbons will continue America's dependence on fossil fuels and leave behind carbon dioxide, the primary cause of global warming."

"China has also laid claims to having invented windmills around 2,000 years ago, but the first documented claims appear in the 1200's. Around 250 A.D. the Romans introduced windmills into their culture and in the 700's so did Afghanistan. The Afghanistan windmills were also of the vertical axis style and cloth sails or reed matting was developed to catch the air. These windmills were used to grind corn and sugarcane plus draw water. In the 13th century Holland started developing large horizontal axis windmills. These four-blade windmills were larger, carried more torque and wind speed and could do more work than other windmills previously designed. The Holland windmills were also being used to grind grains and to drain part of the Rhine River. In the 19th century Denmark had an estimated 2,500 windmills and in the U. S. windmills were starting to be used to pump water. The Halladay windmill of 1854 is one such example of this. The first windmill in the world built for electrical production was in 1887 in Scotland built by Professor James Blyth. A year later in 1888 in the U. S. Charles Brush of Cleveland, Ohio built a large wind turbine used to generate electricity."

" Geothermal Electricity Production Most power plants need steam to generate electricity. The steam rotates a turbine that activates a generator, which produces electricity. Many power plants still use fossil fuels to boil water for steam. Geothermal power plants, however, use steam produced from reservoirs of hot water found a couple of miles or more below the Earth's surface. There are three types of geothermal power plants: dry steam, flash steam, and binary cycle. Dry steam power plants draw from underground resources of steam. The steam is piped directly from underground wells to the power plant, where it is directed into a turbine/generator unit. There are only two known underground resources of steam in the United States: The Geysers in northern California and Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming, where there's a well-known geyser called Old Faithful. Since Yellowstone is protected from development, the only dry steam plants in the country are at The Geysers. This geothermal power plant generates electricity for the Imperial Valley in California. Credit: Warren Gretz Flash steam power plants are the most common. They use geothermal reservoirs of water with temperatures greater than 360°F (182°C). This very hot water flows up through wells in the ground under its own pressure. As it flows upward, the pressure decreases and some of the hot water boils into steam. The steam is then separated from the water and used to power a turbine/generator. Any leftover water and condensed steam are injected back into the reservoir, making this a sustainable resource. Binary cycle power plants operate on water at lower temperatures of about 225°-360°F (107°-182°C). These plants use the heat from the hot water to boil a working fluid, usually an organic compound with a low boiling point. The working fluid is vaporized in a heat exchanger and used to turn a turbine. The water is then injected back into the ground to be reheated. The water and the working fluid are

"eothermal energy in the United States continues to be an area of considerable activity. In 2012, the United States led the world in geothermal electricity production with 3,386 megawatts (MW) of installed capacity;[1][2] the largest group of geothermal power plants in the world is located at The Geysers, a geothermal field in California.[3] The United States generates an average of 15 billion kilowatt hours of geothermal power per year, comparable to burning some 25 million barrels (4,000,000 m3) of oil or 6 million short tons of coal per year.[4] Geothermal power plants are largely concentrated in the western states. They are the fourth largest source of renewable electricity, after hydroelectricity, biomass, and wind power. A geothermal resource assessment shows that nine western states together have the potential to provide over 20 percent of national electricity needs.[4][5]"

"Archaeological evidence shows that the first human use of geothermal resources in North America occurred more than 10,000 years ago with the settlement of Paleo-Indians at hot springs. The springs served as a source of warmth and cleansing, their minerals as a source of healing. While people still soak in shallow pools heated by the earth, engineers are developing technologies that will allow us to probe more than 10 miles below the earth's surface in search of geothermal energy. We invite you to study the timeline of the recent history of geothermal energy in the United States."

"Primary sources of noise associated with exploration include earth-moving equipment (related to road, well pad, and sump pit construction), vehicle traffic, seismic surveys, blasting, and drill rigoperations. Well drilling and testing activities are estimated to produce noise levels ranging from about 80 to 115 decibels at the site boundary. Air Quality Emissions generated during the exploration and drilling phase include exhaust from vehicular traffic and drill rigs, fugitive dust from traffic on paved and unpaved roads, and the release of geothermal fluid vapors (especially hydrogen sulfide, carbon dioxide, mercury, arsenic, and boron, if present in the reservoir). Initial exploration activities such as surveying and sampling would have minimal air quality impacts. Activities such as site clearing and grading, road construction, well pad development, sump pit construction, and the drilling of production and injection wells would have more intense exhaust-related emissions over a period of 1 to 5 years. Impacts would depend upon the amount, duration, location, and characteristics of the emissions and the meteorological conditions (e.g., wind speed and direction, precipitation, and relative humidity). Emissions during this phase would not have a measurable impact on climate change. State and local regulators may require permits and air monitoring programs. Cultural Resources Cultural resources could be impacted if additional roads or routes are developed across or within the historic landscape of a cultural resource. Additional roads could lead to increased surface and subsurface disturbance that could increase illegal collection and vandalism. The magnitude and extent of impacts would depend on the current state of the resources and their eligibility for the National Register of Historic Places. Drilling activities could result in long-term impacts on archeological artifacts and historic buildings or structures, if present. Surveys conducted during this phase

"You can drill a hole just about anywhere to get this abundant, high temperature geothermal energy, but the hole would be miles deep, and dry. It is possible to use that heat resource, but terribly expensive, and drilling is just the beginning of the expensive engineering problems of utilizing extremely deep geothermal energy resources."

"It may surprise you to know that the ancient Romans had central heating. They used geothermal energy - in the form of hot springs - to heat their homes. Geothermal heating wasn't used in an organized fashion since until the late 19th century when Boise, Idaho, piped in water from local hot springs to warm buildings. Now, geothermal energy is used globally. Reykjavik, Iceland, leads the world in use of geothermal energy, heating 95 percent of its buildings with heat from below the Earth's surface."

"It may surprise you to know that the ancient Romans had central heating. They used geothermal energy - in the form of hot springs - to heat their homes. Geothermal heating wasn't used in an organized fashion since until the late 19th century when Boise, Idaho, piped in water from local hot springs to warm buildings. Now, geothermal energy is used globally. Reykjavik, Iceland, leads the world in use of geothermal energy, heating 95 percent of its buildings with heat from below the Earth's surface."