Geothermal energy is one of the oldest sources of energy. (Geo) a Latin root meaning earth and (thermo) a Greek root meaning heat, is where the word originates from. A simple way to phrase it would be that you are using renewable, heat energy from the earth. So what exactly does it do? According to an article by Alternative Energy Some forms of geothermal energy heats up groundwater. This heat eventually generates to hot spots surfacing near the surface of the crust. Examples of these hot spots manifest themselves as volcanoes, geysers, and hot springs. After the heat reaches the surface the naturally-occurring hot water and steam can be trapped by energy conversion. This then allows us to convert the heat energy from the water
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Fossil fuels are low cost, easily obtained and transported, and it can be produced in large amounts, however, eventually it will run out. Being entirely dependant on a perishable source is an imprudent decision. If the full economic potential of geothermal resources can be realized, they would represent an enormous source of electricity production capacity. Geothermal energy is a reliable headspring which provides a major part in the world economy. In 2012, the U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) found that conventional geothermal sources (hydrothermal) in 13 states have a potential capacity of 38,000 MW, which could produce 308 million MWh of electricity annually. (How Geothermal Energy Works) After we find and drill holes into the earth to get the water vapor, we transfer it into electricity. We do this using a steam turbine generator. The turbine is operated by heating the water found from hot spots creating steam. The steam is guided through a pipe which is used to rotate the blades of a turbine. This is very similar to the windmill; the heat energy from the steam is then turned to mechanical energy. This rotational energy caused by the high pressured steam turbine is used to generate electricity from an attached
Fossil fuels are low cost, easily obtained and transported, and it can be produced in large amounts, however, eventually it will run out. Being entirely dependant on a perishable source is an imprudent decision. If the full economic potential of geothermal resources can be realized, they would represent an enormous source of electricity production capacity. Geothermal energy is a reliable headspring which provides a major part in the world economy. In 2012, the U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) found that conventional geothermal sources (hydrothermal) in 13 states have a potential capacity of 38,000 MW, which could produce 308 million MWh of electricity annually. (How Geothermal Energy Works) After we find and drill holes into the earth to get the water vapor, we transfer it into electricity. We do this using a steam turbine generator. The turbine is operated by heating the water found from hot spots creating steam. The steam is guided through a pipe which is used to rotate the blades of a turbine. This is very similar to the windmill; the heat energy from the steam is then turned to mechanical energy. This rotational energy caused by the high pressured steam turbine is used to generate electricity from an attached