Resources for Green Living in the Chesapeake Bay Area

Geothermal literally means ‘earth’ ‘heat’. It is a clean and sustainable energy resource that can be used to heat and cool buildings and generate electricity. The earth’s interior provides the heat energy. This heat continuously flows out from the earth’s core warming rock and water (geothermal reservoirs) beneath the earth’s surface. Wells are drilled into the reservoirs to bring steam and hot water to the surface which is converted to electricity in a geothermal power plant.

There are three ways geothermal reservoirs are used to produce electricity. The first is a dry steam reservoir which uses the force of steam to produce electricity. The second is a hot water reservoir where hot water is brought to the surface and released water pressure produces power generating steam. Lastly, when there is not enough steam to use, the heat from the hot water is transferred to another liquid which expands and runs the turbine. Geothermal energy can also be used directly to heat homes and towns, greenhouses, and in pasteurizing milk.

The use of geothermal energy is clean and sustainable, has little impact on the land, it’s reliable, and can be used in remote areas. According to the Geothermal Education Office (http://geothermal.marin.org/pwrheat.html), Lake County California, who has five geothermal plants, is the first and only county to meet the highest air quality standards in the United States.