Renewable energy
Geothermal Energy
Definition
Geothermal energy is heat originating inside the Earth, produced largely by the slow decay of radioactive particles and continuously replenished, making it renewable. It is harnessed directly for bathing, space heating, and industrial heat, or converted to electricity in geothermal power plants where high-temperature resources are accessible.
References
definition and uses
Overview
What it means
Unlike solar and wind, geothermal provides continuous, dispatchable energy with a small land footprint. Conventional plants tap hydrothermal reservoirs near tectonic plate boundaries; enhanced geothermal systems and deep closed-loop designs aim to expand viable geography, while ground-source heat pumps use shallow geothermal energy for efficient building heating and cooling almost anywhere.
How it is used
The term spans utility-scale power (Iceland, Kenya, Indonesia, the western US), district heating, and building heat pumps; policy support increasingly treats geothermal as a pillar of firm clean power.
Why it matters
Decarbonised electricity systems need firm low-carbon capacity, and decarbonised heat needs renewable heat sources; geothermal is one of the few options that can supply both. **Note:** 1195 Geothermal power merges into this entry as the electricity-generation application of the same resource.