geothermal energy

Syllable breakdown

Dictionary meaning

heat energy extracted from the earth's interior — originating from the planet's formation and the decay of radioactive isotopes — and used directly for heating or converted into electricity; high-temperature geothermal resources near volcanic zones, as in Iceland, Kenya, New Zealand, and the Philippines, enable electricity generation through conventional steam turbines; lower-temperature resources widespread across the earth's crust can be used for direct heat applications including district heating, greenhouse agriculture, and industrial processes; enhanced geothermal systems (EGS) drill deep into hot dry rock and inject water to create artificial reservoirs, potentially unlocking vast geothermal resources far from volcanic zones; geothermal energy is renewable, provides constant baseload power, and has a very small land and carbon footprint relative to its energy output