Facts about Geothermal Energy

By 2010 the amount of electricity produced from renewable energy will triple.

This is compared to only 5% in 2004. By the end of this year, we will have more than doubled the capacity of new clean green technologies connected to the electricity network. It is estimated that there is enough geothermal energy reserves in the United States alone to power the entire world’s energy needs for 30,000 years. In general, the temperature rises one degree for every 36 meters you go down.

Geothermal energy is used in domestic homes as water and space heating using a geothermal heat pump. It is also used to produce electricity. Water is pumped down into the geothermal well where it is flashed or turned into steam. The steam is then pumped back to the surface where it turns a turbine to generate electricity.

The steam cools and converts back to water and the process starts again. The result is a clean efficient environmentally friendly source of renewable energy.

Iceland leads the world in geothermal energy with over 50% of homes being heated as well as for generating
electricity with geothermal energy.