Why don't we use geothermal energy for generating electricity?

5. Great for Heating and Cooling. We need water temperatures of more than 150°C (about 300°F) or greater in order to effectively turn turbines and generate electricity with geothermal energy. Another approach is to use the (relatively small) temperature difference between the surface and a ground source. read more

These resources presently supply the world with 99% of its geothermal energy and are the ones I discuss here. • Low-temperature resources potentially amenable for use in heating, an application I haven’t looked into and don’t discuss here. Geothermal electricity is about as close to a perfect source of renewable energy as one can get. read more

However, I don’t think this heat contribution is significant to global warming. Here’s why:-If we are talking about geothermal electricity generation, most of the heat is used to generate electricity (the rest being loss due to inefficiency). read more

Small-scale geothermal power plants (under 5 megawatts) have the potential for widespread application in rural areas, possibly even as distributed energy resources. Distributed energy resources refer to a variety of small, modular power-generating technologies that can be combined to improve the operation of the electricity delivery system. read more