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Geothermal drilling extracts heat from the Earth for energy needs, with electricity generation being a common use. It accesses vast energy reserves, but drilling depth and costs vary by location. Energy conversion is often done through steam production for electricity generation. Geothermal energy is a clean source of energy.
Geothermal drilling is a process by which heat is taken from the Earth and used productively for energy needs. The heat may be used directly for some needs such as space heating, but the true mass-market value comes from the ability of that heat to be converted into other forms. Electricity generation is one of the most common reasons for industrial-scale geothermal drilling.
Geothermal energy is one of the great untapped resources in many places on Earth. Physics teaches that much of the universe’s energy is in the form of heat, and humans have generally failed to put the heat they have to good use. Even in the conversion of energy of other forms, the reason for the efficiency loss is the heat generated by the conversion which is never used for any practical purpose.
Geothermal drilling seeks to change that. By drilling holes deep into the earth’s crust, especially in certain regions of the world, such as the Pacific, there is the possibility of accessing vast reserves of energy. Drilling geothermal wells can be an important process as these wells can go down three miles (5km) or more, depending on where they are in the world. While there is heat available in all parts of the world, some places would have to dig much deeper than this, making it difficult to obtain geothermal energy. Therefore, the costs for geothermal drilling in those areas would likely outweigh the benefits.
Once the well has been drilled, there is a virtually infinite supply of energy. An added benefit to geothermal drilling operations is the fact that the heat rises, which means there is very little in the way of mechanization required to bring the energy to the surface once the route has been created. However, the process does not simply end with geothermal drilling. It has yet to be converted into useful energy.
In some cases, energy conversion is not required. This is most commonly seen when the energy is used for space heating. However, this is an entirely different situation from commercial geothermal drilling. In this case, the geothermal well doesn’t need to go that deep. Just a few feet below the ground, the Earth maintains a nearly constant temperature of 50 to 60 degrees Fahrenheit (10 to 15.5 degrees Celsius) in nearly every location. Therefore, the air only needs to be warmed about 10 degrees more to make it comfortable.
If conversion is required, this is usually done by producing steam. Some wells already do this naturally, further simplifying the process. In other cases, the steam is created using the available heat. That steam then spins turbines, which produce electricity. Once drilled, geothermal wells offer a very clean source of energy, free from pollutants or greenhouse gases. As a usage note, geothermal can sometimes be written in two words: geothermal.
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