geothermal
adjective
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Geothermal comes partly from the Greek thermos, "hot". Most geothermal electricity is provided by power plants situated in areas where there is significant activity of the Earth's great tectonic plates—often the same areas where volcanoes are found. But hot water from deep underground may be used by cities far from volcanoes to heat buildings or sidewalks. And a newer source of geothermal energy relies on a less dramatic kind of heat: Individual homeowners can now install heat pumps that take advantage of the 50°-60° temperature of the soil near the surface to provide heating in cold weather (and air-conditioning in the warm months). These very small-scale geothermal systems may eventually supply more useful energy than the large power plants.
Examples of geothermal in a Sentence
Becca Bratcher, Forbes, 25 Mar. 2025
This means not only wind and solar but also geothermal, nuclear, and energy storage will benefit.
—Bill Ritter Jr., The Denver Post, 22 Mar. 2025
The prominent geothermal startup Fervo Energy has its eyes on an IPO, CEO Tim Latimer tells Axios.
—Ben Geman, Axios, 13 Mar. 2025
China currently produces 31% of its electricity from renewable sources including wind, solar, hydroelectricity, and geothermal.
—Simmone Shah, TIME, 7 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for geothermal
Cite this Entry
“Geothermal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/geothermal. Accessed 31 Mar. 2025.
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geothermal
adjective
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