How Does Geothermal Energy Storage Work? Technology can transfer heat energy from underground water to electricity, then it can also store the extra energy into underground water. As heat transfers from the building to the water, the warmed-up water will be taken to the well that stores warm water.

Any leftover water and condensed steam are injected back into the reservoir, making this a sustainable resource.

Dry steam, the oldest geothermal technology, takes steam out of fractures in the ground and uses it to directly drive a turbine. Flash plants pull deep, high-pressure hot water into cooler, low-pressure water.

The main components in a geothermal power plant at The Geysers are the steam turbine, generator, condenser, cooling tower, gas removal system and hydrogen sulfide abatement system. Thermal energy in the form of pressurized steam flows from wells, through pipelines and to the power plant.

The most active geothermal resources are usually found along major tectonic plate boundaries where most volcanoes are located. One of the most active geothermal areas in the world is called the Ring of Fire, which encircles the Pacific Ocean.

In favour of geothermal

Geothermal power plants do not burn fuel to generate electricity, but they may release small amounts of sulfur dioxide and carbon dioxide.

In open-loop geothermal systems, approximately 10 percent of the air emissions are carbon dioxide, and a smaller amount of emissions are methane, a more potent global warming gas. Estimates of global warming emissions for open-loop systems are approximately 0.1 pounds of carbon dioxide equivalent per kilowatt-hour.

Geothermal provides a reliable source of energy as compared to other renewable resources such as wind and solar power. This is because the resource is always available to be tapped into, unlike with wind or solar energy.