A Beginner's Guide To Geothermal Energy

Energy extracted from the heat of the Earth is known as 'Geothermal Energy'.

Earth's core, which is 4,000 miles deep, has a lot of heat in rocks and fluids. The maximum temperature at that point is 7,600° F, or 42,204°C, which is produced owing to the gradual decay of radioactive particles. These hot water and steam reservoirs can be harnessed to produce electricity or to heat buildings.

It as a renewable source of energy and cheap too, therefore it has an edge over fossil fuels.

Geothermal reservoirs are the places where hydrothermal sources are generally found. Being very deep under the Earth's surface, it is difficult to sight them over the ground. But they find their way to our planet's surface through hot springs, volcanoes, and geysers.

There are three major ways in which geothermal energy can be used.

Direct geothermal energy is used in locations close to the Earth's surface where geothermal reservoirs or hot springs are present.

Geothermal heat pump is used where the water or soil is steadily hovering around 50-60° F or 10-15° throughout the year. In geothermal power plants, steam and hot water are transported over the ground via underground wells so that power plants can use them to generate electricity.

The United States in 2013 was the world leader in terms of the quantity of electricity generated using geothermal energy. Geothermal power plants were responsible for 0.4% of the total electricity generated in the country in the same year at around 17 billion kilowatt hours (kWh), according to the US Energy Information Administration (EIA). Philippines, Indonesia, Mexico, and Italy are the other large producers of geothermal electricity.

It is expected that this form of energy will gain more acceptance across the world in the times to come.

We will go through some benefits and drawbacks of using geothermal electricity.

Let us zero in on the advantages first.

1. Carbon dioxide, sulfur gases and nitrous oxide are emitted only in miniscule quantities, according to the US Department of Energy (DoE).

2. As the energy is generated very close to the plant, costs are saved on transportation and processing of geothermal power.

3.Geothermal plants can run uninterruptedly throughout the year.

4.Geothermal plants can be set up at any location in the world as the temperature under the Earth's surface is always constant.

5.Geothermal energy is renewable because the removed water can be pumped back into the ground after its heat is used.

We all have a look at the shortcomings of using electricity generated from geothermal plants.

1. It is expensive to set up geothermal power plants.

2. It can only be located at places where there are lots of rocks below.

3. It is not easy to transport geothermal energy.

4. Geothermal power plants may not be financially viable as the electricity generated there might not offset the expenses incurred in constructing them.

All said and done, it is foreseen that returns from this energy outweigh its downsides. We can safely surmise, therefore, that we will hear more about its adoption in the future.


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Cisco evangelist Ravi Namboori guides us through the basics of geothermal energy, an energy source derived from the Earth's center. How this alternative source of energy can be helpful to humanity forms the crux of this piece.
http://ravinamboori.in/