How it Works

• The hot rocks underground heat the water to produce steam
• The steam is purified and used to drive turbines
• In Iceland geothermal heat is used to heat houses
• We use geothermal energy to make electricity

Pros

• Does not produce any pollution and does not contribute to the Greenhouse effect
• Power stations do not take up as much room
• No fuel is needed
• With a geothermal power station, energy is almost free
• It is a clean source of energy

Cons

• Not many places to build a geothermal power station
• Sometimes geothermal sites could run out of steam, possibly for decades
• Hazardous gasses and minerals may come up, and can be difficult to safely dispose of
• Expensive; costs somewhere between 2 million to 7 million dollars
• The geothermal heat pumps need a power source

Summary

• Geothermal energy means getting heat from hot rocks underground
• We use the steam that comes up to drive turbines or heat houses
• Not many places you could do it
• Sometimes poisonus gasses come up

Fun Fact

• Geothermal power is used in over 20 countries around the world including Iceland, United States, Italy, France, New Zealand, Mexico, Nicaragua, Kenya, Costa Rica, Russia, Philippines, Indonesia, and the People's Republic of China and Japan