How do geothermal power plants generate electricity?

Answer 1

Geothermal power plants work in one of two ways.

One way is that they drill wells into a geothermal reservoir and extract steam to be used in a turbine. If the reservoir is not quite hot enough, they might have to extract hot water, and flash it into steam by lowering the pressure. In either case, this steam is run through a turbine, which turns a generator to generate electricity. The steam is usually condensed and either used in the plant or reinjected into the ground.

The other way some plants work is by using the geothermal steam to heat water contained in a closed loop. This water is turned into steam, and runs the turbine. The steam from the ground would be condensed and reinjected. This has the advantage of keeping the geothermal steam separate from the power plant.

Note that other than the source of the steam, a geothermal power plant operates in much the same way most other power plants work. Using steam to turn a turbine, which turns a generator is a very common method. Notable exceptions would be wind farms, solar cells, and hydropower dams, among others.