image credit: William W Nazaroff (2005); image source; larger
image The Geothermal Power Plant The above photo shows the
Nesjavellir geothermal plant in Iceland, which produces power
and hot water for the towns surrounding it. To learn more about
how the plant works, see this site from the University of
Rochester. Iceland sits astride the mid-Atlantic ridge, where
two tectonic plates are moving apart at about two and a half
centimeters per year. Magma--molten rock--wells up in between
the plates and heats the bedrock under Iceland. The bedrock
heats the groundwater that the plant pipes to the surface to
make a mixture of steam and brine (salt water). For more on
tectonic plates and Iceland, including a volcanic island nearby
that was formed in 1963, see Physics to Go, Issue 55. Login to
Comment on this Item U.S. Department of Energy: Energy
Efficiency & Renewable Energy Beyond the search for renewable
energy sources, a complementary approach is to save energy by
using it more efficiently. See this California