About Geothermal Power
Geothermal power plants use the natural heat of the earth to generate electricity for homes and businesses. Geothermal power is a renewable source of energy and does not rely on coal or other fossil fuels to create electricity.

About the Virtual Tour
Select a numbered icon to take a tour of each phase of the geothermal power plant operation. The tour begins with a look at the geothermal resources far below the surface of the earth. Next, the tour shows how these resources are brought to the earth's surface and converted into steam, how the steam is used to spin turbines and generate electricity and how the unused fluid is returned to the earth to sustain the geothermal resource so it can be used again. To see all phases from start to finish, select Grand Tour.

For clarification of terms used in the tour, view our Glossary of Terms.


Learn where geothermal resources are located, how they were created, and how they reach the power plant. See how geothermal resources are transformed into energy. See the series of turbines spin and create pressure needed to power the generator. Learn why geothermal resources can remain a renewable source of energy. Learn how the natural heat of the earth creates the geothermal resources used to generate electricity for homes and businesses.