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Geothermal

Nesjavellir geothermal power station in Iceland with steam rising from its plant buildings

Updated

How geothermal energy works, and why EGS is finally taking off

A geothermal power plant makes electricity by pulling heat out of the ground and using it to spin a turbine, the same basic principle behind a coal or gas plant, minus the fuel and the smokestack.
Large yellow ground-source heat pump condenser piping at a campus geothermal system

Updated

How much a geothermal heat pump costs and how it works

A geothermal heat pump doesn't tap into volcanic heat. It works because the ground a few feet down holds a steady temperature year-round, and installed systems for a typical home run $15,000 to $40,000.