Geothermal energy is the energy stored within the earth (“geo” for earth and “thermal” for heat). Geothermal energy starts with hot, molten rock (called magma) deep inside the earth which surfaces at some parts of the earth’s crust. The heat rising from the magma warms underground pools of water known as geothermal reservoirs. If there is an opening, hot underground water comes to the surface and forms hot springs, or it may boil to form geysers.

Electricity production from geothermal energy:

Geothermal power plants can produce electricity through three types of power plants: dry steam, flash steam, and binary cycle.

1. Dry Steam Power Plants:

Dry steam power plants draw steam from underground resources. The steam is piped directly from underground wells to the power plant, where it spins the turbines connected to a generator unit.

1. Flash Steam Power Plants:

In flash steam power plants, pressurized high-temperature water is drawn from beneath the surface into containers at the surface called flash tanks, where the sudden decrease in pressure causes the liquid water to “flash,” or vaporize, into steam. The steam is then used to power the turbine-generator set.