About geothermal energy
Energy originating from the Earth's heat
The Greek etymology of the term says it all: geō, Earth, and thermós, heat. The heat coming from deep within Earth’s crust transforms water in steam, which has accompanied mankind along its evolution to serve many different purposes: to heat, to cook, to power spas. In the eighteenth century, men pioneered the first industrial uses of geothermal energy and by the start of the nineteenth century, it opened the door for electricity.
Right until the sixties, the world’s hotspot of geothermal energy was the small Tuscan hamlet of Larderello, which held the world record for installed capacity until the eighties, when this kind of energy sources went global on a large scale. In the last decade, countries like the United States and Iceland made the most of their own large geothermal resources, exploiting steam for household heating purposes. Suffice to say that 95% of Icelandic households are heated thanks to steam collected straight from the earth’s crust.
Geothermal energy is less widespread than other renewables: this is because it isn’t possible to find a large amount of heat concentrated below the ground in the same area. This does not, however, have not a negative effect on its potential: following COP21 (the Conference of Parties) in Paris 2015, the Global Geothermal Alliance (GGA) was launched with the support of the United Nations. This initiative aims to encourage countries with geothermal resources to prioritize them in order to accelerate the energy transition process. At the second GGA conference, which was held in Salvador in 2022, under the auspices of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), it was announced that geothermal energy contributed 15.96 GW of green energy to global renewable capacity and that it was expected to develop over the coming years with a minimum annual increase of 6%.
The history of geothermal energy
Going along with literature, medicine, and technology
How geothermal energy works
Journey to the center of the Earth
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A geothermal power plant is able to harness the Earth’s heat and transform it into electricity. In some of the planet’s best-suited zones, where the Earth’s crust is thinner and jagged, this heat flow is trapped via an extraction well 3 km deep, allowing for steam to flow naturally towards the surface and the turbine.
The turbine transforms the energy of high-pressure and high-temperature steam into mechanical motion, which – once it’s transferred to an alternator – becomes electricity.
After being used to jump-start the turbine, steam is then channeled to a condenser (or heat exchanger), which in turn lowers its temperature and transforms it into water. Thanks to a cooling tower, temperatures are further lowered.
This is when cooled water is presented with two alternative routes: it could either be used in the condenser, where it lowers the temperature of steam, or it could be re-injected in the subsoil where it will transform in steam once again, starting off a new cycle that generates clean energy.
Strong points of geothermal energy
Heat becomes green energy
An incredible potential
Since 2006, a report from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology highlights how the planet’s potential for geothermal energy could provide clean energy for roughly 4000 years.
Unlimited and constant
Day, night, sun or rain: none of these conditions has any impact on geothermal operations. Hence, the Earth’s heat is always fully and readily available.
Low management costs
Once a geothermal plant goes online, its management costs are significantly lower compared to other technologies.
Frequently asked questions about geothermal energy
There is an enormous amount of energy underground. Thanks to a still untapped potential, the 2020s are expected to go down in history as the decade of geothermal energy. It is a power source that optimizes resources: the heat that cannot be used immediately is put back into the system, thereby enhancing energy saving. Here are all the answers to fulfill your curiosity about this renewable energy source.
Did you know?
Geothermal power, culture, food, and wine: Tuscany’s winning gamble
How could a handful of hamlets perched on Tuscany’s hillsides attract over 60 thousand visitors each year, with a continuously growing trend? With a diverse and enticing cultural offer for both kids and grown-ups, excellent food and wine products, and last but not least with the highlight of geothermal vents. Larderello houses the appealing Museum of Geothermal Power, and with its 30 thousand tickets sold each year, it surely is the local highlight, while inside the Larderello 3 power plant, a concert arena was set up in 2017 to house musical and theatrical performances. The wide and varied sustainable tourism offer is completed with nature treks twisting along the Biancane di Monterotondo Marittimo and the Fumarole di Sasso Pisano natural parks.
Tuscany served tourists another tasty encore in 2009 with the world’s first Renewable-power Food community: a food farming association uniting several businesses and entrepreneurs. What do they have in common? A varied, world-class range of foodstuffs like cheese, olive oil, vegetables, beers and wines, all produced with geothermal energy.
