Geothermal Energy

The industrial use of geothermal energy has a long history that can be traced back as far as the Romans and Etruscans. The geothermal potential of the earth is enormous, but progress in its utilisation has been slow and only amounts to a very small percentage of its potential. The primary reason is the low price of conventional sources of energy such as oil and coal. Another reason is that this form of energy is not easily available everywhere in the world. The structures required for the utilisation of geothermal energy are generally not spectacular but the utilisation itself may sometimes be. Since geothermal power is a source of energy that is not well known to most engineers as the wind or the sun, the present paper discusses not only the relevant structures, but places even more emphasis on the utilisation itself.