Geothermal Energy-Uses, Sources, And Advantages

Geothermal energy is a type of renewable energy extracted from inside the Earth in the form of hot water or steam. It is a non-conventional energy source like solar energy, tidal energy, and energy from biomass which can be used to produce electricity and for many other purposes.

What Is Geothermal Energy?

Geothermal energy is one of the oldest sources of renewable energy. It is a source of energy that is generated from the thermal gradient inside the earth.

The energy that is released from the ground through the cracks in the rocks is called geothermal energy. This is the primary form of energy that is available to us from our own planet.

Geothermal energy is the energy that is generated from the heat that is trapped underground due to the difference in the temperature between the surface and the core of the earth. The earth is a huge reservoir of hot fluids that are in constant circulation.

Energy from the ground is one that is very common but geothermal energy is considered the best source of energy because this energy is available to us throughout the year.

Geothermal energy is a renewable energy that is available to us free of cost. We don’t need to spend money on this energy generation but we need to pay attention to the maintenance and management of this energy.

Even if the weather is bad outside, you can make use of this energy and can generate electricity. You don’t need any additional source of energy when this is available to you.

Uses of Geothermal energy

Geothermal energy is a type of energy conversion that captures heat energy from the earth’s interior and uses it for cooking, bathing, heating, power generation, etc. The heat from the Earth’s interior produces surface phenomena such as lava flows, geysers, fumaroles, hot springs, and mud pots.

Sources of geothermal energy

Heat within the Earth is generated by the following processes

Radioactive decay

The energy, heating the rocks, is constantly being released by the decay of radioactive elements.

Residual Heat of the Earth

In the interior of the Earth, the rocks are in a molten and partly molten state. They conduct heat energy from the Earth’s interior. The temperature of these rocks is about 2000 C or more.

Compression of material

 The compression of material deep inside the Earth also causes the generation of heat energy. In some places, water beneath the ground is in contact with hot rocks and is raised to high temperatures and pressure. It comes to the surface as hot springs, geysers, or steam vents. The steam can then be used for turbines or for direct heating.

Geysers

An interesting phenomenon of geothermal energy is a geyser. It is a hot spring that discharges steam and hot water, from time to time releasing an explosive column into the air. Most geysers blow up at irregular intervals.

They usually occur in volcanic regions. Pulling out of geothermal heat energy often occurs closer to the geyser sights, this removal seriously disturbs the geyser system by reducing heat flow and aquifer pressure. The aquifer is a layer of rock holding water that allows water to percolate through it with pressure.

Advantages of geothermal energy

It is one of the cheapest and easiest sources of energy that requires no extra installation or construction. You just need to drill a hole and fill it with water. This water will absorb the heat from the earth and that will become your source of energy.

If you are looking for an alternative and sustainable source of energy then you can go for geothermal energy. There are so many benefits of this energy that will help you to make your life easier and better. Energy from the ground is available to us 24/7.

There is no need for any maintenance and management of this source of energy. As it is a natural process, you don’t need to perform any maintenance of this source of energy. It is one of the best sources of energy that will be ready to generate energy even in the rainy season.

There are many people who are concerned about the security of the earth but they don’t know that geothermal energy is one of the best sources of renewable energy that will keep the earth’s temperature at a constant level.