Difference Between Geothermal Energy and Fossil Fuel Energy
I suppose the difference between Geothermal Energy and Fossil Fuel Energy is like that between black and white. But going into detail on these differences, we can first understand that these terms represent.
Fossil fuel energy
Have you thought of the why fossil fuels are so-called? Well, it has to do with the way they are formed. They are acquired from fossils of dead organisms, trees and vegetation. Fossilized remains of organic matter, due to the anaerobic decay over millions of years, are converted to oil, gas and coal. We call these fossil fuels. These fossil fuels have met the needs of humanity energy since time immemorial. But because of the rapid growth of infrastructure and growing energy needs, the rapid depletion of natural reserves has occurred around the world and is apprehended that in the coming years we can finish all these fossil fuels as they are not renewable sources of energy.
Geothermal
The word geothermal is composed of two words Geo, meaning earth, and thermal (thermos), meaning heat. The heat that is present beneath the surface of the land is used for our energy needs known as geothermal energy. The heat of the earth is because of the heat absorbed from the sun, the decay of radioactive minerals, energy as the earth was formed and with volcanic activity. All this heat is always conducted from the heart of the earth to the surface of the earth. We call the difference in temperature between the surface of the earth and the core of the earth is geothermal gradient and it is the difference in temperature that is taken advantage of in the process of using geothermal energy. The natural hot springs, which have been known to mankind since ages, are now used for generation of electricity. 24 countries around the world are collectively creating about 10,000 MW of electricity by using these hot springs.
Now that we know a little about geothermal energy and fossil fuels, we can talk about their differences.