Mention geothermal energy to someone and its likely that you’ll get a blank stare and a…huh?  That’s because the concept of using geothermal power as an alternative energy source is not widely discussed in the mainstream media.  Usually you’ll only hear about solar, wind, and biofuels.

But what about geothermal energy?  What the heck is it and how can it benefit us?

Here’s a quick video that does a great job at illustrating how geothermal electricity is generated at a geothermal power station…

Geothermal energy has many uses, more than anyone might even know. And many farmers, for instance, have used geothermal energy for years to heat their greenhouses. In Italy, farms have been using geothermal energy to water their fields for hundreds of years. This allows them to grow vegetables in the winter, because the hot water will make it possible. Hungary is another country that uses geothermal energy, and has for a very long time.

Geothermal energy might seem confusing, but the principals behind it are very simple. Water is the most abundant resource on the planet, and heating water can create some very high temperatures and steam, which work in many different ways.

Geothermal energy is simply the electricity that comes from heating water, and from using that hot water. This technology is nothing new, however it has become more popular in recent years due to the increasing trends for green and renewable power. Water is something that can be used in these ways over and over again. Using geothermal energy is something that can be done without any pollution or greenhouse gas emissions, which means that it is completely green.

Geothermal energy is used as well in fishing farms. The water is heated, and the warmth makes it more possible for alligators, tropical fish, and other types of fish to grow in seasons and places where they wouldn’t normally. Fish farms are one of the biggest users of geothermal energy. Not only that, but industry uses geothermal energy for drying fruits and vegetables. It also is used to dry wood, wool, and get silver and gold out of ore. Another use for geothermal energy is to heat sidewalks and roads. This prevents them from freezing in the winter, which saves costs on concrete replacement and repair.

The most common use of geothermal energy, however, is to heat residential districts. The first time that the US used geothermal energy for heating is in 1893. The French were using geothermal energy for heating more than 500 years before that.

Geothermal power is also a generator of electricity. This is done in several ways. First of all, it is done through flashed stream plants. In these plants,  the water is flash boiled. Then, the stream is used to turn the turbines. There are also dry steam plants. These are power plants that rely on actual natural steam. This steam comes from underground reserves, and is used to create electricity. Binary Power Plants also use geothermal power. The hot water is used to heat a secondary liquid, which is then vaporized. As this happens, turbines are turned and electricity is created.  There are also Hybrid Power plants.  These are plants that use both the binary techniques, and the flash techniques at the same time.

Geothermal Energy Resources:

Wikipedia’s Geothermal Power Page

U.S. Dept. of Energy’s Geothermal Technologies Program

Geothermal Education Office

Geothermal Energy Association