Geothermal energy

Energy drawn from heat within the Earth for direct heating or conversion into electricity. Its use depends on underground temperatures, permeability, and access to circulating fluids.

Geothermal reservoir: An underground volume of hot rock and fluid that can supply geothermal heat. Reservoir temperature and fluid movement determine how much useful heat a project can extract.
Binary cycle power plant: A geothermal plant that transfers heat to a secondary fluid that vaporizes at a lower temperature than water. Binary cycles can generate electricity from moderate-temperature geothermal resources.
Solar energy: Energy captured from sunlight and converted into heat or electricity. Solar output follows sunlight, unlike geothermal supply from subsurface heat.
Induced seismicity: Earthquakes triggered or influenced by human activities that alter underground stress or fluid pressure. Fluid injection and reservoir stimulation can trigger small earthquakes near geothermal projects.
Larderello geothermal field: A geothermal area in Tuscany, Italy, where electricity was first generated from geothermal steam in 1904. Larderello marks the beginning of commercial geothermal electricity generation.
Geothermal gradient: The rate at which temperature increases with depth inside the Earth. The gradient helps estimate how deep drilling must reach usable temperatures.
Flash steam power plant: A geothermal plant that depressurizes hot water so some of it flashes into steam to drive a turbine. Flash plants exploit high-temperature water brought up from deep reservoirs.
Wind power: Electricity generated by converting the kinetic energy of moving air. Wind relies on atmospheric motion, while geothermal generation draws on underground heat.
Geothermal brine: Saline water produced from geothermal reservoirs, often containing dissolved minerals and gases. Managing brine and its dissolved substances is a central environmental and operational concern.
The Geysers: A large geothermal steam field in northern California that produces electricity. Its development became a major example of large-scale geothermal power.

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