How geothermal energy works

I saw a presentation of geothermal power the other night that reminded me how attractive this technology is. Geothermal has been around for almost a century - this technology produces cheap power with near-zero environmental impact, and the supply of geothermal energy sources in the U.S. is high. That’s why the U.S. has the largest installed base of geothermal power in the world. But the techology stagnated for two decades before starting to heat up again recently.

Here is a very nice slideshow introduction to geothermal energy:

geothermal energy slide show

Along with two videos that explain the basics:

Here is a quick overview of the advantages:

Five Advantages of Geothermal Energy

The advantages of geothermal are:

1) Lack of pollution

2) Large supply, especially in the U.S.

3) Small size and easy siting (see the slideshow for example examples of geothermal power plants stuck in tiny places)

4) Reliability

5) Low cost

The cost can be low. According to this page, the cost is “5.5 and 7.5 cents per kilowatt hour, with cost estimates under 5.5 cents per kilowatt hour relying on lower than average upfront financing agreements.” It makes you wonder why there isn’t a lot more happening in the gothermal sector.

See also:

What Geothermal Energy Could Do for Consumers

How Geothermal Energy Works