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Dec 16, 2008CanGEA FAQ #2: Geothermal - Depleting the Earth’s Resource?
Another common geothermal question CanGEA receives.
Q: Will geothermal energy usage deplete the earth’s heat resource?
A: The geothermal heat flux from Earth’s interior is about 42 x 10^12 W(t) – an almost limitless resource. We can exploit the resource at a higher rate if we wish, the aforementioned flux is only the leakage rate, not any limit to exploitation. At current leakage rates, it will take over 9 billion years for the Earth to cool (geological time of this magnitude makes geothermal, like solar, renewable energy). The many forms of geothermal energy can exploit this resource and offer the prospect of near limitless energy without affecting our atmosphere the way exploiting fossil fuels does.
