Question

Power generated from the heat in the interior of the Earth is called _____.
A) Nuclear power
B) Thermal power
C) Solar power
D) Geothermal power

Answer 1

Hint: This type of power is used only in 26 countries around the world. Three main technologies used in the production of this power are; dry steam power, flash steam power, and binary cycle power. Some of the countries which are the highest producers of geothermal power are; El Salvador, the Philippines, Kenya, Iceland, New Zealand, and Costa Rica.

Complete answer:
Some raw materials that are used to produce electricity, such as radioactive metals, solar radiation, water, fossil fuels etc. To choose the correct option let us see what the raw materials are for the following types of powers.

Now let us look into the given options:
Option A) Nuclear Power – Nuclear power is the electricity that is produced by converting the energy from nuclear fission, nuclear fusion or nuclear decay reactions. These reactions produce the highest amount of energy as compared to any other means available on earth. It’s one major drawback is the fact that this process uses the nuclei of radioactive elements for this purpose. Thus, this option is incorrect.
Option B) Thermal Power – Thermal power is the electricity that is produced by converting the heat energy emitted from the burning of fossil fuels. This heat is used to boil water, turn it into steam and use its high pressure to rotate turbines that generate electricity. This option is also incorrect.
Option C) Solar Power – Solar power is the electricity that is generated by converting electromagnetic radiations from the sun into usable electricity. This is done by receiving the radiation on a solar panel, which causes the excitation of electrons from certain elements in the panel. This is an infinite source of energy. This is the wrong option.
Option D) Geothermal Power – This type of electricity is generated in the same manner as in the case of thermal energy. The only difference is that we are not burning any fossil fuels to generate heat. Instead, we are using the heat from the interior of the earth i.e. the deep into the earth’s crust where the temperatures are higher. It is getting popular very quickly as it is neither radioactive nor does it cause air pollution from the burning of fuels. Thus, this is the correct option.

Thus, the correct answer is Option (D) Power generated from the heat in the interior of the Earth is called Geothermal Power.


Note: Geothermal energy is also used as a source of heat for household purposes in cold countries. It is known as geothermal heating and it is the direct use of heat for heating appliances. The heat that is harnessed by humans is the heat of the earth that is retained inside it since its birth or formation. It has been here for 4.5 billion years and will stay this way for further billions of years. Therefore, it is practically an infinite source of energy.