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 * Geothermal Energy[[image:geothermal power.jpg width="400" height="265" align="right"]] **

**What is it?** Geothermal energy is basically the energy derived from within the Earth, which can be recovered in the form of steam of hot water and used to generate power. Being cost-effective and environment friendly, it is looked upon as an alternative energy source which can replace harmful and ever depleting fossil fuels. Many countries have initiated projects to tap this energy stored below the Earth's crust and in fact, till 2007, geothermal plants world over had the capacity to generate approximately 10 Gigawatt's of electricity. This number is expected to rise in the near future, as many other countries are evaluating its pros and cons in order to check the feasibility of exploiting the heat energy stored within the Earth.

 There are three types of geothermal power plants - dry steam plants, flash steam plants and binary cycle plants. These plants produce energy by using geothermal dry steam or geothermal hot water derived from the Earth. The steam or hot water accessed by a digging well is brought to the plant at the surface through pipes and is used to rotate turbines in order to generate electricity. In dry steam geothermal power plants, the steam is directly brought to the plant through the pipe. In flash steam plants, hot water is brought to the plant and sprayed into a tank in order to create steam, while binary cycle plants use moderately hot water derived from the Earth and mix it with some chemicals to form steam required to produce electricity.

NPR Visualizing the Energy Grid - Learn about the energy resources powering our country and our state, and find out how they are interconnected.
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Energy Explained - US Energy Information Administration. Learn about how each energy resources is found and used to provide the energy we need.

Energy4Me - Compare the pros and cons of each energy resource.

CBC News Online | May 20, 2009 [], - Additional information about energy resources.

Buzzle: Pros and Cons of Energy - Additional information about energy resources.

Estimated cost per kilowatt hour by resource:



Simulation: How a Geothermal Power Plant Works


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