What is geothermal heat?

Geothermal heat is found in the earth's subsurface. Some heat sources can be accessed at relatively shallow depths (from the surface down to 3 km), while other sources require deeper drilling for access (several kilometers deep and beyond). Geothermal heat has been harnessed by humans in various ways for thousands of years. Until recently, this has occurred near tectonic plate bound- aries or at geothermal "hot spots." Today, with improved drilling technologies and better geophysical data collection, companies such as GreenFire are looking to harness geothermal heat at greater depths than ever before.

How is geothermal heat converted to usable energy?

In a conventional geothermal system, water heated by the rock formation is captured via wells in order to generate steam, which turns turbines to produce electricity. Water is then captured or added on the back end and reinjected into the hot rock formation, recharging the subsurface aquifer. Because the earth’s subsurface is always hot, geothermal power does not depend on the whims of wind or weather and is available day or night, rain or shine, 24/7/365. GreenFire's CO₂E^TM process will replace water with geothermally heated CO₂ as the geothermally heated fluid in a closed-loop system.