We should be doing everything achievable to develop geo-thermal free energy technologies. This is a largely untapped area of tremendous alternative free energy potential, as it simply taps the energy being naturally created by the Earth herself. Enormous quantities of energy lie under the upper crust of the earth, on which we lie, and all that is necessary is to tap the source and take control over it.

The temperature at the center of the earth is 60 times greater than the boiling point of water and the heat emanating from it produce pressures which can be felt only a few miles under the surface of the earth. These pressures contain large quantities of free energy and there are tons of heated fluids in the form of magma, which can be seen pouring out of the earth, during a volcanic eruption. Such heated fluids sometimes percolate up to the surface as steam and vents out through various orifices.

We could also make these vents and at the same time build appropriate chambers where the magma can be arrested for later conversion to energy, which would produce electricity to light or heat up our homes. To develop a geo-thermal plant, a well needs to be dug in an area with abundant source of magma or heated fluid, then a pipe has to be used to bring up the fluid on to the surface level to get the necessary steam power. The steam would operate a turbine engine, which in turn would generate electricity.

There are unfavorable judgments of geo-thermal energy tapping which prevents it being executed on the large scale which it should be. Critics say that exploration to find a resourceful area is too expensive and takes up too much time. Then setting up a geo-thermal energy plant is also very expensive, with no assurance of any future profits. Some geothermal sites, once tapped, might be found to not develop a large enough amount of steam for the power station to be viable or reliable.

Several conservationists are of the opinion that when you bring out magma, it is achievable that some dangerous materials also accompany it. However the advantages of geo-thermal energy can easily beat these criticisms, if only we examined the matter in greater depth. The fact is this is the energy of the Earth herself means it does not produce any pollutants. geothermal energy can be extremely productive and it does not take great efforts to develop it once the site is chosen and the plant set up.

geo-thermal plants, furthermore, do not need to be as large as electrical plants, giant dams, or atomic free energy facilities - the surroundings would be less disrupted. Nevertheless, it is an alternate form of energy and using it would mean we become that much less dependent on oil and coal. The most fundamental point in the favor of geo-thermal energy is that we would never exhaust it and nor would its value increase with time, as it is an limitless source. Since in the end the use of geo-thermal energy is cost-effective the cost of building the power plant can be recovered in no time.