Lesson: Geothermal Power Physics

Students will be able to

• recall the basic energy transfers that take place for geothermal power (internal energy of water kinetic energy of steam kinetic energy of a turbine electrical energy from a generator),
• recall the advantages of geothermal power:
  • it is a renewable energy source,
  • once built, geothermal power stations produce very few pollutants,
  • geothermal power stations produce alternating current, so they are easy to hook up to the grid,
• recall the disadvantages of geothermal power stations:
  • they can only be built in very few locations,
  • they are relatively expensive for how much power they output,
• understand which locations are suitable for geothermal power stations:
  • they generally need to be near sites of volcanic activity,
• do basic power and energy calculations using .