Introduction to Renewable Energy
Geothermal energy is a type of renewable energy that is generated and stored in the Earth's crust. The word "geothermal" comes from the Greek words "geo" meaning "earth" and "therme" meaning "heat".
Geothermal energy is obtained by tapping into the Earth's natural heat, which is produced by the decay of radioactive elements and residual heat from the formation of the Earth. This energy can be used for:
Two ways to harness geothermal energy include using geothermal heat pumps or geothermal power plants. Geothermal heat pumps transfer heat from the ground to buildings for heating or cooling, while geothermal power plants convert the heat from the Earth's core into steam to generate electricity.
Geothermal energy is a clean and renewable energy source, as it does not emit any greenhouse gases or other pollutants into the atmosphere. It is also a reliable energy source, as it is not affected by weather conditions like solar and wind energy.
However, the cost of building geothermal power plants can be high, and not all areas have the necessary geological features to support geothermal energy production.
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