Types of Geothermal Power Plants
. Flash Steam Plants Most operating geothermal power plants are flash steam plants. In a flash steam plant, hot water from wells is piped into the plant, where, released from the high pressure of its underground location, some of the hot water boils (flashes) to steam. The force of the expanding steam is used to spin a turbine generator, which produces electricity. After turning the turbine, the geothermal water, along with the condensed steam, is piped back down into the reservoir to be reheated so it can be used again. Dry Steam Plants While most geothermal reservoirs produce hot water, a small number produce mostly steam. Steam from such a reservoir is used in a dry steam plant. In such a plant, the steam is piped directly through a turbine generator. The first geothermal power plant, built at Larderello, Italy, in 1904, was a dry steam plant. The Larderello steam field is still producing electricity today. The largest producing dry steam geothermal reservoir in the world is locate...