The phrase “geothermal energy” has been around for hundreds of years. The term “geothermal” derives from the Greek words; geo (which means earth) and therme (which means heat). This instantly gives us the quick definition, “geothermal energy is heat from the earth.”
A common misunderstanding of geothermal energy lies in the source of this heat. The two sources that heat our earth are the earth’s core and the sun.
The earth’s core is predicted to be between 3,000 and 4,000 degrees Celsius, and this heat heats the earth to the ground below our feet, lowering the temperature all the way.
The surface of the sun is about 5600 degrees Celsius. The heat from the sun only heats the first few meters of our earth, and then this heat is lost during the night.
So where does the misconception about geothermal energy really come from? Well, many people believe that the fairly modern method of heating water by laying pipes under about 1 meter of ground is geothermal energy. Many scientists disagree with this, as geothermal energy should be used to describe the thermal energy dispersed by the earth’s core.
The variant of geothermal energy that comes from the sun should really be described as a terrestrial heat source, due to the fact that solar energy is only capable of heating the edge of the earth’s crust, before the sun sets and sets. lose the heat. .
In recent years, companies that used to promote “geothermal boilers” are now switching to using the term “ground source heat pumps”, as a ground source heat pump uses energy from the sun, not thermal energy from the sun. core of the earth.
The correct geothermal energy extraction process is associated with geothermal power plants. This extraction is only possible by drilling very deep holes in the earth, so that they can reach a substantial level of geothermal energy to heat water and extract steam to drive turbines.
So there we have the basic understanding of geothermal energy and the variant of this energy.