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GEOTHERMAL ENERGY
 Geothermal
energy comes from deep inside the earth. If you sliced the earth
in half, you would find that it is made up of layers.
The Core and Crust are solid
rock. The Outer Core and Mantle
are liquid or molten rock. Molten rock (lava) flows up from deep
inside the earth and through the crust, forming a volcano.
The term 'geothermal' refers to the natural heat of the earth.
The core is hotter than the surface of the sun. This heat energy
is a source of renewable energy.
There are other ways that the Earth releases this heat energy.
Rainwater, for example, naturally seeps into the rock below the
surface of the earth and gets trapped. This water is heated by the
Earth's natural heat energy and can resurface as a source of energy
that we can use. This happens in the form of powerful geysers or
hot springs.
 The
U.S. is one of the world's leading users of geothermal energy.
There is a geyser 90 miles north of San Francisco and since 1993
it has been meeting the electrical needs of 1.2 million people in
America.
In total the U.S. produces 2800 Megawatts of energy through geothermal
energy, the equivalent of burning 60 million barrels of oil per
year.
How a geothermal power station works
Step 1. A deep hole is drilled down into the reservoir
of steam and hot fluids deep inside the earth.
Step 2. The steam released is used to drive a
turbine generator and make electricity.
Step 3. The hot steam is also used to heat cool
water.
Step 4. The geothermal water (the water from inside
the earth) is then pumped back down the bore hole to be reheated
by the earth.
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