The word geothermal literally means "earth heat"[1] which is apt since geothermal technology uses the heat from steam and hot water stored deep within the earth to create electricity.
The heat continuously moves outward toward the earth’s surface creating magma (i.e., molten rock in the earth's crust) where the temperatures are high enough. Most of the magma remains well below the earth’s surface (except in cases of volcanic activity), heating the rock and water above it. Water seeps through the many cracks in the rock, heats up and then works it way back out from these cracks toward the surface, resulting in the creation of hot springs or geysers, also called geothermal reservoirs. These geothermal reservoirs are the source of geothermal energy. Generally, geothermal reservoirs are found by drilling down into the earth several hundred feet to up to a mile.[2]
Geothermal energy is truly a renewable energy source since the water is replenished by rainfall and the heat is produced continuously within the earth. Geothermal energy is generated in the earth's core, approximately 4,000 miles below the earth’s surface and can find its way to the earth’s surface in various ways that include: Volcanoes and fumaroles (i.e., holes where volcanic gases are released); Hot springs; and Geysers. [3]
Research by Eva Patry
