This form of energy is both clean, sustainable, and renewable and the technology has caught on in countries with substantial geothermal activity; such as Iceland, where it accounted for 54 percent of primary energy use.
Resources of geothermal energy range from the shallow depths of hot water and hot rock found a few miles beneath the earth's surface, and down even deeper to the extremely high temperatures of molten rock called magma.
In the United States, the best sources for geothermal power are in the west, where there are many underground lakes of heated water; however, large-scale access would require drilling.
A major goal is to find a way to harness energy directly from magma (molten rock material), which has great potential because of its high temperature.
The earth’s heat lies below the surface everywhere, and it is believed that it offers an untapped energy reserve of enormous potential with a very short list of drawbacks.
Some of the negative aspects of geothermal development is that it will mean more competition for scarce water, more holes in the ground, and more roads to service those holes.
The fluid is contained in a variety of loop (pipe) configurations depending on the temperature of the ground and the ground area available.
Loops may be installed horizontally or vertically in the ground or submersed in a body of water.
Mile-or-more-deep wells 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. In the United States, most geothermal reservoirs are located in the western states, Alaska, and Hawaii.