What Does "Geothermal Energy" Refer To?
As explained by the Geothermal Resources Council geothermal energy refers to any heat derived from the earth. It is the thermal energy contained in the rock and fluid (that fills the fractures and pores within the rock) in the earth's crust.
What might that mean for you, as a home or business owner?
- Direct use: As the name implies, using direct geothermal energy involves using the heat in the ground or water directly (without a heat pump or power plant) for such things as heating of buildings, industrial processes, greenhouses, aquaculture (growing of fish), and resorts.
- Ground-source heat pumps use the earth or groundwater as a heat source in winter and a heat sink (or cooling source) in summer. Heat pumps are devices which move heat from one place to another, transferring heat from the soil to the house in winter and from the house to the soil in summer.
Stirling engines, a type of heat-powered engine, also can rely on geothermal energy to for power. At this time, BASK POWER is developing innovative stirling energy technology for consumer usage. For more information about this or other geothermal energy systems, contact BASK today.
Sources:
Geothermal Resources Council, www.geothermal.org
Stirling Engine Society USA, www.sesusa.org/
