Geothermal energygeo (earth) + thermal (heat)is heat energy from the earth.

What is a geothermal resource?

Geothermal resources are reservoirs of hot water that exist at varying temperatures and depths below
the Earth's surface. Mile-or-more-deep wells can be drilled into underground reservoirs to tap steam
and very hot water that can be brought to the surface for use in a variety of applications, including
electricity generation, direct use, and heating and cooling. In the United States, most geothermal
reservoirs are located in the western states.

Geothermal energy is a vast underutilized heat and power resource that is renewable, baseload,
domestic and clean.

Benefits of Geothermal Energy

RenewableThrough proper reservoir management, the rate of energy extraction can be balanced with
a reservoir's natural heat recharge rate.

BaseloadGeothermal power plants produce electricity consistently, running 24 hours per day / 7 days
per week, regardless of weather conditions.

DomesticU.S. geothermal resources can be harnessed for power production without importing fuel.

Small FootprintGeothermal power plants are compact; using less land per GWh (404 mi2) than coal
(3642 mi2) wind (1335 mi2) or solar PV with center station (3237 mi2).*

CleanModern closed-loop geothermal power plants emit no greenhouse gasses; life cycle GHG
emissions (50 g CO2 eq/kWhe) are four times less than solar PV, and six to 20 times lower than natural
gas.

Geothermal power plants consume less water on average over the lifetime energy output than the most
conventional generation technologies.

How a Geothermal Power Plant Works (Simple)

Most power plantswhether fueled by coal, gas, nuclear power, or geothermal energyhave one
feature in common: they convert heat to electricity. Heat from the Earth, or geothermal Geo (Earth) +
thermal (heat) energy is accessed by drilling water or steam wells in a process similar to drilling for
oil.
Geothermal power plants have much in common with traditional power-generating stations. They use
many of the same components, including turbines, generators, transformers, and other standard power
generating equipment. While there are three types of geothermal power plants, this animation shows a
generic plant.

Text Version of a How a Geothermal Power Plant Works (Simple)

The below is a text version of the animation How a Geothermal Power Plan Works.

This animation is meant to convey in simple terms what happens in the operation of a geothermal
power plant. Aspects such as exploration, resource verification, site preparation, construction,
geothermal fluid processing, and power conditioning are not shown or described in the interest of
simplicity, and so the viewer can more readily grasp the basic operating concepts.
Wells Are Drilled

A production well is drilled into a known geothermal reservoir. Typically, an injection well is also drilled
to return used geothermal fluids to the geothermal reservoir. Hot geothermal fluids flow through pipes
to a power plant for use in generating electricity.

Steam Turns the Turbine

Hot, pressurized geothermal fluid, or a secondary working fluid, is allowed to expand rapidly and provide
rotational or mechanical energy to turn the turbine blades on a shaft.

The Turbine Drives the Electric Generator

Rotational energy from the turning turbine shaft is used directly to spin magnets inside a large coil and
create electrical current. The turbine and generator are the primary pieces of equipment used to
convert geothermal energy to electrical energy.
Transmission - Power Lines Deliver Electricity

Electrical current from the generator is sent to a step-up transformer outside the power plant. Voltage is
increased in the transformer and electrical current is transmitted over power lines to homes, buildings,
and businesses.
Enhanced Geothermal Systems

The Geothermal Technologies Program actively pursues Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS) R&D and
demonstration projects to improve performance, reduce cost, and facilitate technology validation and
deployment. While achieving cost-competitive electricity generation from EGS is a long-term goal, in the
near-term, R&D projects will move industry along the learning curve toward technological readiness.

What are Enhanced Geothermal Systems?

EGS are engineered reservoirs created to produce energy from geothermal resources that are otherwise
not economical due to lack of water and/or permeability. EGS technology has the potential for accessing
the earth's vast resources of heat located at depth to help meet the energy needs of the United States.

Learn the basics of Enhanced Geothermal Systems in our fact sheet or watch our EGS animation.

How an Enhanced Geothermal System Works

The Potential

Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS), also sometimes called engineered geothermal systems, offer great
potential for dramatically expanding the use of geothermal energy. Present geothermal power
generation comes from hydrothermal reservoirs, and is somewhat limited in geographic application to
specific ideal places in the western U.S. This represents the 'low-hanging fruit' of geothermal energy
potential.

EGS offers the chance to extend use of geothermal resources to larger areas of the western U.S., as well
as into new geographic areas of the entire U.S. More than 100,000 MWe of economically viable capacity
may be available in the continental United States, representing a 40-fold increase over present
geothermal power generating capacity. This potential is about 10% of the overall U.S. electric capacity
today, and represents a domestic energy source that is clean, reliable, and proven.

The Concept

The EGS concept is to extract heat by creating a subsurface fracture system to which water can be
added through injection wells. Creating an enhanced, or engineered, geothermal system requires
improving the natural permeability of rock. Rocks are permeable due to minute fractures and pore
spaces between mineral grains. Injected water is heated by contact with the rock and returns to the
surface through production wells, as in naturally occurring hydrothermal systems. EGS are reservoirs
created to improve the economics of resources without adequate water and/or permeability.

To learn more about Enhanced Geothermal Systems, view the short animation below or read our fact
sheet on the basics of Enhanced Geothermal Systems
Text Version of How an Enhanced Geothermal System Works Animation

The below is a text version of the animation How an Enhanced Geothermal System Works.

Injection Well

A production-injection well is drilled into hot basement rock that has limited permeability and fluid
content. This type of geothermal resource is sometimes referred to as "hot, dry rock" and represents an
enormous potential energy resource.
Injecting Water

Water is injected at sufficient pressure to ensure fracturing, or open existing fractures within the
developing reservoir and hot basement rock.

Hydro-fracture

Pumping of water is continued to extend fractures some distance from the injection wellbore and
throughout the developing reservoir and hot basement rock. This is a crucial step in the EGS process.
Doublet

A second production well is drilled with the intent to intersect the stimulated fracture system created in
the previous step, and circulate water to extract the heat from the previously "dry" rock mass.

Multiple Wells
Additional production-injection wells are drilled to extract heat from large volumes of rock mass to meet
power generation requirements. Now a previously unused but large energy resource is available for
clean, geothermal power generation."