![]() How Is Geothermal Energy Used and What Is It Used For? The slow decay of the radioactive particles in these layers produces geothermal energy, which is coming from deep inside the Earth, and conducting out to the surface of the Earth. The Earth’s core is always conducting its thermal energy from the center of the Earth to the Earth’s surface. Magma can be called a geothermal fluid because it is something that transfers heat to the surface. When magma heat is transferred to water that humans can access - some close to the surface and some many miles down - we can use the hot water as a geothermal resource. ![]() ![]() We see magma when volcanoes erupt as tectonic plates move. Molten rock, or magma, comes close to the Earth’s surface where the crust is thin, reaching temperatures of around 700 degrees Fahrenheit (370 Celsius). Atop the crust is the surface as we know it. Then comes the mantle, with the Earth’s crust covering the mantle. The core is estimated to be between 5,000 to 11,000 degrees Fahrenheit (2,760-6,093 Celsius), producing continual heat because of the radioactive decay of particles in rocks.Īround this core is a molten iron core called magma. Geothermal energy is a renewable energy that comes from the Earth’s core, a solid iron core some 4,000 miles below the surface of the Earth. Geothermal energy is all the Earth’s stored heat energy. The word geothermal stems from Greek, from Earth (geo) and heat (therme). The Earth’s core is the energy source for the heat and movement that provides us with geothermal energy. If we think about a boiling kettle, the water starts to heat up and move around, eventually boiling and releasing steam. When pressure is applied to the atom - in this case, heat caused by a rise in temperature - the electrons move more quickly, crashing into each other and emitting thermal energy as heat. To understand geothermal energy, we must understand that thermal energy, or heat, is produced by rises in temperature.Īt an atomic level, electrons move around the nucleus of an atom. It’s common to find geothermal power plants close to areas with geysers, volcanic activity, and hot springs. Geothermal heat pumps use this hot water to warm homes and businesses. Geothermal power plants dig wells 1-2 miles deep and pump hot water to the surface to power turbines for electricity generation. Some areas below the crust are full of water that gets heated up by this thermal energy. That natural heat is what we call geothermal energy. What Is Geothermal Energy and How Does It Work?Īccording to the Cambridge Dictionary, geothermal means “ of or connected with the heat inside the Earth.” If you were to dig a deep hole into the Earth, the further down you go, the hotter it would become. Let’s look at how geothermal technologies work, the history of geothermal energy, and how energy below the Earth’s crust can help tackle climate change by reducing fossil fuel emissions. High-pressure geysers are highlighted in many travelers’ holiday photos from Iceland to Chile - and more than 83 countries now exploit their geothermal resources. ![]() Humans have been using geothermal energy for millennia, be it bathing in hot springs to using it as a renewable energy source in homes.
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