You searched for: “geothermal
geothermal (adjective) (not comparable)
Relating to, or caused by, the internal heat of the Earth: Mr. Thompson's house was warmed up by geothermal energy.

While at the hot springs, Jill let her feet dangle in the water and enjoyed the geothermal warmth it provided.

("hot-earth" steam can be utilized for many practical applications)
Word Entries containing the term: “geothermal
enhanced geothermal system (s) (noun), enhanced geothermal systems (pl)
A system used to extract heat from the less productive margins of existing geothermal fields, or from entirely new fields that are lacking sufficient production capacity under current conditions by utilizing a combination of hydraulic, thermal, and chemical processes; such as, rock fracturing, water injection, or water circulation.
This entry is located in the following unit: alto-, alt-, alti- (page 2)
geothermal agriculture (s) (noun), geothermal agricultures (pl)
The use of geothermic heat in farming: Geothermal agriculture is the use of low-temperature geothermal water to warm irrigation water or to sterilize soil.
geothermal aquaculture (s) (noun), geothermal aquacultures (pl)
The use of geothermal heat in fish farming: Geothermal aquaculture is used to warm up the water in order to provide a controlled environment for the husbandry of marine organisms.
geothermal cooling (s) (noun) (no pl)
The use of naturally-cooler water, or air, to lower the temperature of a building, as opposed to air or water that is artificially cooled: Those who utilize heat pumps in a system of geothermal cooling save up to 70% on heating expenses in addition to 50% on cooling costs.
geothermal drilling (s) (noun), geothermal drillings (pl)
The process of drilling a well to explore for or to extract geothermal energy, or to re-inject thermal waste water in the ground after power generation: Geothermal drilling entails boring a hole deep into the ground and pumping water back up. The method of geothermal drilling is a fantastic way of heating one's home.

You may see more information about geothermal drilling here.

geothermal energy, geothermal heat, geothermal heating (s) (noun) (no pl)
1. Energy in the form of natural heat flowing outward from within the plant Earth and contained in rocks, water, brines, or steam: Geothermal heat is produced mainly by the decay of naturally occurring radioactive isotopes of thorium, potassium, and uranium in the Earth's core.

Geothermal energy is produced by tapping the Earth's internal heat. At present, the only available technologies to do this are those that extract heat from hydrothermal convection systems, where water or steam transfer the heat from the deeper part of the Earth to the areas where the energy can be tapped.

The amount of pollutants found in geothermal vary from area to area but may contain arsenic, boron, selenium, lead, cadmium, and fluorides. They also may contain hydrogen sulphide, mercury, ammonia, radon, carbon dioxide, and methane.

Getting the Earth's Heat

Geothermal power plants, which tap hot subterranean water or steam, are high on the lists of at least thirty states in the U.S. which are requiring utility companies to generate some portion of their electricity from such renewable sources.

Most utilities have not pursued geothermal energy primarily because up-front costs, including exploratory drilling, can be expensive since geothermal taps deep reservoirs, not groundwater, which collects much closer to the surface.

An extensive study recently released by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology has shown that the heat available under ground is surprisingly plentiful nationwide.

—This segment of information came from
"Heating Up" by Mark Fishetti; Scientific American,
October, 2007; page 80.

A page about geothermal energy in Iceland. More information about special Geothermal Energy sources.

geothermal gradient (s) (noun), geothermal gradients (pl)
The rate of temperature change in soil and rock from the surface to the interior of the Earth: The geothermal gradient on the average is estimated to be an increase of about +10°C per kilometer.
geothermal heat pump, ground source heat pump (s) (noun); geothermal heat pumps: ground source heat pumps (pl)
Heat pumps which consist of underground coils that transfer heat from the ground to the inside of a building: The large company had a ground source heat pump to heat and to cool their many buildings.
geothermal mining, geothermal silica (s) (noun) (no pl)
1. The extraction of valuable minerals from geothermal fluids: By the way of geothermal mining solid homogeneous inorganic matter, like market-grade silica, can be obtained from a geothermal brine.
2. The process of purposely transporting geothermal energy from beneath the Earth's surface: Geothermal mining can be useful for human utilization, for example for the building of a well and pipeline system to bring heated water to a power plant.
geothermal plant (s) (noun), geothermal plants (pl)
An industrial heat-producing manufacturer in which the prime mover is a steam turbine: Geothermal plants are driven either by vapor produced from hot water or by natural condensation that derives its energy from the hotness found in rock formations of the planet.

Like other related "plant" references, this entry is apparently linked to the action of pressing on a shovel, or some other apparatus, with the "sole of the foot" in order to work the soil for the development of plants.

geothermal reservoir (s) (noun), geothermal reservoirs (pl)
A subsurface system consisting of a large volume of hot water and steam trapped in a porous and fractured hot rock underneath a layer of impermeable rock: Some geothermal reservoirs can be commercially developed as an energy source.

geothermal system (s) (noun), geothermal systems (pl)
A localized geological environment in which circulating steam, or hot water, carries some of the Earth's natural internal heat flow close enough to the surface to be utilized for productive human use: A geothermal system is one kind of technological system that makes use of this heat as an energy source, such as to power an electrical power plant, or to heat or to cool a building.

Word Entries at Get Words: “geothermal
geothermal
Energy which is generated from heat from inside the earth.

This form of energy is both clean, sustainable, and renewable and the technology has caught on in countries with substantial geothermal activity; such as Iceland, where it accounted for 54 percent of primary energy use.

Resources of geothermal energy range from the shallow depths of hot water and hot rock found a few miles beneath the earth's surface, and down even deeper to the extremely high temperatures of molten rock called magma.

In the United States, the best sources for geothermal power are in the west, where there are many underground lakes of heated water; however, large-scale access would require drilling.

A major goal is to find a way to harness energy directly from magma (molten rock material), which has great potential because of its high temperature.

Word Entries at Get Words containing the term: “geothermal
geothermal future
Most people think the word "geothermal" means hot springs and geysers; such as, parts of Iceland or Yellowstone National Park where water is heated by the presence of magma near the surface of the earth.

The earth’s heat lies below the surface everywhere, and it is believed that it offers an untapped energy reserve of enormous potential with a very short list of drawbacks.

Some of the negative aspects of geothermal development is that it will mean more competition for scarce water, more holes in the ground, and more roads to service those holes.

This entry is located in the following unit: Geology or Related Geological Terms + (page 5)
geothermal heat pump
A heat pump in which the refrigerant exchanges heat (in a heat exchanger) with a fluid circulating through an earth connection medium (ground or ground water).

The fluid is contained in a variety of loop (pipe) configurations depending on the temperature of the ground and the ground area available.

Loops may be installed horizontally or vertically in the ground or submersed in a body of water.

geothermal resources
Geothermal resources range from shallow ground to hot water and rock several miles below the earth's surface, and even farther down to the extremely hot molten rock called magma.

Mile-or-more-deep wells can be drilled into underground reservoirs to tap steam and very hot water that can be brought to the surface for use in a variety of applications. In the United States, most geothermal reservoirs are located in the western states, Alaska, and Hawaii.

This entry is located in the following unit: Geology or Related Geological Terms + (page 5)