Geothermal energy can be used for electricity production as well as space or process heating applications. The process of electrical production uses fluids heated by the Earth to run a generator. The relatively high temperature and high-pressure fluid is expanded across a turbine to provide power to a generator, producing electricity.
For a geothermal resource to be capable of economically-viable power production, a number of attributes must be present:
- a heat source,
- a reservoir of geothermal fluids with sufficient permeability and porosity,
- sufficient heat conduction within the formation, and
- high enough fluid flow.