ANSWERS: 1
  • Geothermal power makes use of the heat energy trapped inside the Earth. It is a potentially unlimited source of renewable energy. According to the Geothermal Energy Association, geothermal power accounted for 3,000 megawatts of electricity in the United States in 2007.

    Sources

    Geothermal energy can be extracted from hot water geysers, magma, hot dry rock, and sandstone-shale formations. In fact, any location with hot water reservoirs with temperatures exceeding 300 degrees F can be used to generate geothermal power.

    Potential

    According to a 2006 analysis conducted by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the geothermal resources in the United States have the potential of producing 100 gigawatts of electricity over the next 50 years.

    Power Plants

    Flash and dry steam power plants use steam, while binary power plants use liquids with lower boiling points than water. Flash/binary combined cycle power plants combine flash and binary technology.

    Environment

    Compared to fossil fuel power plants, geothermal power plants are extremely environmentally friendly because they do not emit any smoke. The emissions of toxic gases (such as carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide and nitrous oxide) are extremely low.

    Cost

    According to the U.S. Department of Energy, modern geothermal power plants sell geothermal energy at 5 cents per kilowatt-hour.

    Source:

    U.S. Department of Energy: Geothermal FAQs

    Geothermal Energy Association

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