Geothermal energy is heat energy from the Earths crust. It is a renewable energy source because heat is continuously produced inside the Earth. Geothermal energy has been exploited as a source of heat and/or electric power for millennia. People use geothermal heat for bathing, for heating buildings, and for generating electricity. Geothermal resources are reservoirs of hot water that exist or are human-made at varying temperatures and depths below the Earths surface. Wells, ranging from a few feet to several miles deep, can be drilled into underground reservoirs to tap steam and very hot water that can be brought to the surface for use in a variety of applications, including electricity generation, direct use, and heating and cooling.

The slow decay of radioactive particles in the Earths core, a process that happens in all rocks, produces geothermal energy. The Earth has four major parts, or layers: the inner core, outer core, mantle, and crust. Scientists have discovered that the temperature of the Earths inner core is about 10,800 degrees Fahrenheit (°F), which is as hot as the surface of the sun. Temperatures in the mantle range from about 392°F near the mantle-crust boundary to about 7,230°F near the mantle-core boundary. Rocks and water absorb heat from magma deep underground, and the rocks and water found deeper underground have the highest temperatures.

Geothermal energy has several advantages, including being renewable, having a smaller carbon footprint than fossil fuels, being more reliable than solar and wind energy, and being relatively clean. Geothermal power plants produce electricity consistently and can run essentially 24 hours per day/7 days per week, regardless of weather conditions. Geothermal energy is considered a baseload power source. The greenhouse gas emissions of geothermal electric stations are on average 45 grams of carbon dioxide per kilowatt-hour of electricity, or less than 5 percent of that of coal-fired plants. Some form of geothermal energy can be accessed and harvested anywhere in the world.

In conclusion, geothermal energy is a renewable energy source that comes from the Earths crust and is produced by the slow decay of radioactive particles in the Earths core. It can be used for bathing, heating buildings, and generating electricity[...