Buried Treasure: The Environmental, Economic, and Employment Benefits of Geothermal Energy

The geothermal energy potential beneath our feet is vast. This tremendous resource amounts to 50,000 times the energy of all oil and gas resources in the world. And geothermal energy is clean; it represents a promising solution for the nation and the world as we become ever more concerned about global warming, pollution, and rising fossil energy prices. Furthermore, increased development of geothermal energy gives people the potential to gain better control of their own local energy resources and use a secure, safe, domestic source of energy.

There are three primary ways we can use geothermal energy: for electricity production, for direct-use applications, and for heating and cooling buildings with geothermal heat pumps.