Renewable energy is an important part of the energy landscape for much of the Mountain West, including established sources like hydropower, and newer technologies like wind and solar. Research shows renewable energy is getting cheaper.
One technology that’s become very popular in recent years is geothermal energy.
But what exactly is geothermal energy?
“Really, what geothermal energy refers to is the fact that there’s heat beneath our feet,” says Will Toor, the director of the Colorado Energy Office (CEO). “So when you go down underground, it gets hotter as you go deeper. And in some locations, there is enough heat close enough to the surface that you can use that heat to make electricity.”
According to the Colorado Geological Survey, one way to use geothermal is to use the heat from the ground without converting it. This geothermal heat can’t be transported very far and is…
