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fired electrical generating plants by 2050. It is available and being utilized today. It is the third leg of the tripod that we need to replace fossil fuels in time to retain our quality of life.

What is Geothermal Energy?.
Geothermal energy is derived from the heat in the interior of the earth. Geothermal systems move the heat from the earth into the home in the winter and discharge heat into the ground in the summer. Underground piping serves as a heat source in the winter and a heat sink in the summer. In essence, it is the same heat-exchanging process used by the common refrigerator or air conditioner. Heat from the earth can be used as an energy source in many ways, from large and complex power stations to small and relatively simple pumping stations. Examples of this heat energy can be found almost anywhere. It can be found as far away as remote, deep wells in Indonesia and as close as our own backyard.

In the Western United States and in other places around the world, geothermal energy produces electricity in large power plants. Today, geothermal energy provides about five percent of California's electricity, and 25 percent of El Salvador's. In Idaho and Iceland, geothermal heat is used to warm buildings and other applications. In thousands of homes and buildings across the United States, geothermal heat pumps use the steady temperature just underground to heat and cool buildings, cleanly and inexpensively.

Physics of Geothermal Energy:
Just a few meters below the earth's surface the temperature of the soil becomes rather constant. You can depend on this constant temperature throughout the seasons. You can extract this heat in the winter to heat your house or to "bury" your heat in the summer to cool your house.

Trench-pipe systems are utilized in areas where ample space is available and well systems are utilized where there is limited space. It is within the trench or well system that "coolant" is circulated to deposit or extract the energy within the earth.
As one can extrapolate, the further we reach into the earth the higher the temperature will be. We have a great understanding of the heat transfer parameters for all the zones of the United States. The physical parameters of this technology are beyond the scope of this paper, but past successes in design have demonstrated our ability to harness this energy. In addition, we can gain a great benefit from our oil companies. The technology successes that the oil companies have had in drilling for oil can

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