Geothermal Green Energy

Geothermal energy is a green energy resource that can be tapped anywhere, anytime. This makes it ideal for locations that have limited amounts of other resources, such as sun in Alaska during the winter season. The word geothermal comes from the combination of geo, which means Earth, and therme, which means heat. The Earth is constantly producing heat by decaying radioactive materials in the core. This heat slowly rises to the crust or surface of the Earth through vents such as fault lines, volcanoes, natural hot springs and other methods.

Most geothermal activity occurs along fault lines or the boundaries of tectonic plates. Geothermal energy that occurs naturally a mile or two from the earth's surface is used in power plants that generate electricity. These plants use steam or very hot water that ranges in heat from three hundred degrees Fahrenheit to seven hundred degrees Fahrenheit.

There are three types of power plants that use geothermal energy to create electricity. These are flash steam plants, dry steam plants and binary plants. Each plant has different means of converting geothermal energy into electricity. Each plant, however, maintains an ability to create electricity in a surplus.

Flash steamed plants operate off reservoirs of heated water in the earth. The already hot water is pulled through separators where it is flash boiled into instant steam. The pressure of this steam turns the turbines, which create the electricity.

Dry steam plants operate over reservoirs that produce only steam. The steam is pushed into a tunnel called a rock-catcher, and is then funneled into the turbines, causing them to turn. The first of these was built in 1904 in Italy, and the largest dry steam plant built to date is located in northern California.

Binary plants collect the heated water out of the earth, and use this heat to boil a secondary liquid. The reason for this is that the secondary liquid boils faster than water, and therefore takes less time to generate the steam vapor that turns the turbines. This also allows for some of the lower-temperature geothermal reservoirs to be used to generate electricity. Also, there is virtually no heat or water loss because the water is moved through an entirely closed circuit.

There are currently many dangers with attempting to create a reservoir pocket in the Earth's crust and/or mantle. Drilling for pockets may trigger earthquakes or miniature volcanoes. Researchers, however, are attempting to find ways to minimize the risks, and technology is advancing quickly. As with any source of energy, or energy conversion process, risks are inevitable. Once research has diminished the amount of risk, the return on the investment may very well pay off for areas that do not have naturally occurring reservoirs to draw geothermal energy from.

Geothermal Articles

• Pros And Cons Of Geothermal Energy
• How Does Geothermal Energy Work?
• Going Green with Geothermal Energy
• Frequently Asked Questions about Geothermal Energy
• Different Uses of Geothermal Energy
• Understanding Geothermal Energy
• Geothermal Green Energy
• Geothermal Energy: Using the Earth
• Is Geothermal Heating and Cooling Right For Your Home?
• Geothermal Energy-Tapping the Power of Earth
• The Geysers Geothermal Energy Sustainability
• Geothermal System - Everyone should have one!
• Top Reasons to Install a Geothermal Energy System