Ace the 2026 Dual Enrollment Environmental Science Exam – Power Up Your Planet-Saving Skills!

Geothermal energy uses heat from the Earth's interior to generate steam for electricity. Deep underground, rocks and fluids remain very hot. By drilling wells, that heat is brought closer to the surface and used to turn water into steam (or to heat a working fluid) that drives a turbine connected to a generator. This makes geothermal plants capable of providing steady, baseload power because the heat source is continuous and not tied to weather or day-night cycles.

The other options rely on different energy sources: solar energy captures energy from the sun, wind energy uses moving air, and hydroelectric energy uses the flow of water. None of these tap into heat from inside the Earth to produce steam.