(ebook) - free energy - geothermal energy - power from the depths

The Earth’s c rust is a b oun tif ul sou rce of energy—and fossi l f uels are only par t of the story. Heat or th erma l energy is by f ar the m ore abund ant resource. To p ut it in perspecti ve, the thermal energy in the up perm ost six mil es of the Earth’ s crust amou nts to 50,000 ti mes th e energy o f all oil and gas resources i n the w orld! The word “geothermal” literally means “Earth” plus “h eat. ” The geothermal resource is the wor ld’s largest energy resourc e and has been used by people for centuries. In addition, it is environmen- tally fri end ly . It is a renew able resource and can be used in ways that respect rather than up set our p lanet’s delicate environmental balance. Geothermal power p lants operating around the world are proof that the Earth’s therm al energy is readily con- verted to electricity in geologically active areas. Many commu nities, commercial enterp rises, universities, and pu blic facili - ties i n th e western U nited States are heated d irectly with the w ater from un derground reservoirs. For the home- own er or buil ding own er anywh ere in the United States, the emergence of geothermal heat pu mp s brings the benef its of geothermal energy to everyone’s doorstep. G eoth erm al E n ergy… Power from the D epth s C L E A R I N G H O U S E E NERGY E FFICIENCY A ND R ENEWABLE E NERGY T O F E N E R G Y D E P A R T M E N U E N I T E D S T A T S O F A E R I C A M U.S. geothermal p ower plan ts, such as this steam p lant at The Geysers in California, have a total generatin g capacity of 270 0 megawatts, enou gh to p rovide electricity for 3. 7 million p eople. This document was produced for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), a DOE national laboratory. The document was produced by the Technical Information Services Program, under the DOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. The Energy Efficiency and Re newa ble Ene rgy Clea ri nghouse (EREC) i s op e rat e d by NCI I nformat ion Syste ms, Inc., for N REL / D OE. The stateme nt s co nt ained he re in are b as e d on in formati on known to EREC and NREL at the ti me of pri nt in g. No re com me ndati on o r endorse me nt of a ny product or se rv ice is impli ed if menti one d by ER EC. Printed with a renew able-source ink on pap er containing at least 50 % wastepaper, including 20% postconsum er waste DOE/ GO-10097 -51 8 FS 188 December 199 7 D a v e P a r s o n s / N R E L / p i x 0 1 0 4 5

(ebook) - free energy - geothermal energy - power from the depths

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