Why is geothermal considered a renewable energy resource?
All types of geothermal energy are renewable as long as the rate of heat extraction does not exceed the rate at which the thermal reservoir it depends upon is renewed by heat from the earth’s magna. Geothermal reservoirs that tap the earth’s heat for energy production typically have 30 to 50 year life as the plant’s equipment wears out. Indeed the world’s first geothermal power plant at Larderello, Italy was commissioned in 1913 and is still producing. The Geysers, California facility has been in production since the early 1960s.
