In order to produce electricity from geothermal resources, geothermal wells must be drilled to extract the hot water or steam from the reservoir. Depending on the location of the resource, the wells can range in depth from approximately 4,000 feet to 12,000 feet. These wells bring the geothermal fluids and vapor to the surface, where it is converted at a power plant into electricity. There are three different types of geothermal power plants widely used at this time.

• Flash Power Plant - a mixture of brine and steam is produced from the wells. The steam is separated in a surface vessel (steam separator) and delivered to the turbine, and the turbine powers a generator.
• Dry Steam Power Plant - steam directly from the well runs the turbines that power the generator. No separation is needed as the wells only produce dry steam.
• Binary Power Plant - the geothermal fluid heats a working liquid, such as isobutene, that boils at a lower temperature than water. The two liquids are kept separate through the use of a heat exchanger used to transfer the heat energy from the geothermal liquid to the working fluid. The working fluid vaporizes that is used to drive the turbines.

Geothermal energy is considered a base load resource, meaning that it operates most efficiently at a constant level of generation and is not limited by changes in weather patterns or other factors. Heat from the Earth is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, unlike some other renewable energy resources that are limited by weather conditions. Geothermal has the potential to provide a reliable, constant, source of electricity, while still offering significantly lower emissions levels than fossil fuel sources.