Steam Power including Geothermal Energy SPH4C

Geothermal Energy Geothermal energy is heat generated in the interior of the Earth by the decay of radioactive elements.

Geothermal Reservoirs Geothermal reservoirs, deep underground, heat the groundwater that seeps down to them.

History Geothermal has been used for water and space heating since Roman times.

How It Works For houses and businesses, a heat pump pumps water down into the ground (still near the surface) and it returns warmer.

Geothermal Power Plants Geothermal is now also used to generate electricity. The largest geothermal power plant system is located at The Geysers in California.

Geothermal Hotspots Geothermal energy is most easily accessible at hotspots, which are usually near the edges of tectonic plates.

How It Works Power plants similarly pump water down into the ground but on a larger scale and use the super-heated water to turn a steam turbine:

Turbines A turbine is any rotating engine that turns the energy from a fluid (liquid or gas) flow into useful work.

Turbines The first turbines were windmills and waterwheels and were used to do jobs such as grind grain into flour.

Coal Plants Modern coal plants burn coal to produce steam to turn steam turbines.

Nuclear Plants Even nuclear plants just use nuclear fuel rods to produce steam to turn steam turbines.