The first geothermal power plant was built in 1904, in northern Italy, where steam emanated at temperatures between 140 and 260 degrees Celsius. The gas was transported to turbines that in turn activated the generators.
In New Zealand, Philippines, United States and Mexico there are geothermal plants in places where the terrestrial heat emerges in natural form. but in the majority of the cases it is necessary to perforate to use the energy. Sometimes only dry hot rocks are found, the heat of which can be harnessed by injecting water and then recovering it in the form of steam. This drives turbines and generates electricity.
To exploit the energy, two wells must be drilled: one for pumping cold water and the other for the pressurized water to come out. The water passes from one well to the other through the fissures caused in the rock by explosives. Even when the water reaches very high temperatures, the pressure at the bottom prevents it from boiling. But when it returns to the surface, at normal atmospheric pressure, it evaporates instantly and is able to drive the turbines.
In many places geothermal energy can be harnessed, but several problems are faced. For example, it is necessary to remove minerals from hot water so that they do not scale pipes or corrode turbines. On the other hand, it has been found that only one third of the pumped water returns to the surface, the rest is lost. The third problem is drilling deep enough. If these obstacles are overcome, the geothermal potential could be exploited in many parts of the world.
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