Chapter 12

Geothermal Power

Abstract

Geothermal energy is the heat energy contained within the body of the earth. This heat sometimes creates underground reservoirs of hot water. Drilling into these will release high-pressure steam and water which can be used in a steam turbine to produce electric power. Such reservoirs are normally found along tectonic plate boundaries. Elsewhere there are regions of hot rock close to the surface of the earth that can be exploited by drilling and then pumping high-pressure water into the rock where is heated and then extracted. The temperature of the water in geothermal reservoirs is relatively low and the efficiency of energy extraction is low too. Energy extraction is usually done by steam turbine. This can ...

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