How is geothermal energy used

The United States leads the world in geothermal electricity-generating capacity—just over 4 gigawatts. That’s enough to power the equivalent of about 3 million U.S.

homes. 

To generate power from geothermal systems, three elements are needed:

• Heat—Abundant heat found in rocks deep underground, varying by depth, geology, and geographic location.
• Fluid—Sufficient fluid to carry heat from the rocks to the earth’s surface.
• Permeability—Small pathways that facilitate fluid movement through the hot rocks. 

The presence of hot rocks, fluid, and permeability underground creates natural geothermal systems.

Small underground pathways, such as fractures, conduct fluids through the hot rocks. In geothermal electricity generation, this fluid can be drawn as energy in the form of heat through wells to the earth’s surface. Once it has reached the surface, this fluid is used to drive turbines that produce electricity. 

Conventional hydrothermal resources naturally contain all three elements.

Sometimes, though, these conditions do not ex

how does geothermal power produce energy

how is geothermal energy produced