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Geothermal energy
has been used for domestic heating for centuries in countries around
the world such as Italy and Iceland. Today this energy is paired with
heat pumps for warming houses, used for district heating and for the
generation of electricity. The largest geothermal electric facility
in the world, at the Geysers in Northern California, started operation
in 1960.
In a typical
geothermal power plant a well is first drilled to tap the geothermal
reservoir beneath the earth's surface. The hot liquid is then extracted
by means of natural forces or pumping, then the heat in the liquid
is used to produce steam in a flash chamber or heat exchanger. The
steam drives a turbine generator that produces electricity, and
the spent liquid is re-injected into the reservoir. Geothermal power
plants supplied over 40 billion kilowatt hours of electricity
in 1998.
Browse our glossary
of renewable energy terms or our list of geothermal
organizations for more information.
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