How Does Geothermal Energy Generate Electricity?
Heat from the Earth “Geothermal” means heat coming from within the Earth itself. There are a wide variety of sources that warm the interior of the planet, but the major source is thought to be the energy from the decay of natural radioactive elements and compression. Depending on the study, this accounts for between 45 and 90 percent of all the interior’s heat. Another source is compression. As you go deeper into the Earth, the weight of the material above it increases the pressure. Unlike liquids, which are incompressible, pressure and tidal forces push and distort the rock and metal solids in the interior of the Earth, causing them to heat up. A third source are the effects of the electromagnetic field extending out from the Earth’s core. Thermal Power Plants jQuery(document).ready(function(){ jQuery(‘#jsArticleStep1 span.image a:first’).attr(‘href’,’http://i.ehow.com/images/a04/lv/9f/geothermal-energy-generate-electricity-2.1-800X800.jpg’); }); Geothermal power plant in the Geysers,
