Geothermal energy: the answer to the energy problem? Abstract: The global community is currently looking for new sources of energy that are not harmful to the environment, are economically advantageous and are capable of meeting current and future energy demands. Geothermal energy is one of the promising alternatives to fossil fuels because it releases no toxic or greenhouse gas emissions, its current cost decreases every year, and it is a continuous source of energy. It is a clean and efficient energy source that has the ability to provide the majority of energy used in the residential, commercial, industrial and electrical sectors. This article will examine the current and most efficient methods for mass producing geothermal energy, its cost-effectiveness, the environmental impact of production, the amount of energy it can produce, and determine whether geothermal energy could be the answer to the world energy problem. Introduction: The United States faces a big problem: finding new energy sources that do not release the pollutants released into the atmosphere. Research has been fruitful, with great development in solar and wind technologies, but they remain too expensive for mass production and both have sporadic power outputs due to heavy dependence on weather conditions. Yet this research has also led to the growth and success of geothermal energy, which provides a continuous flow of thermal energy from within the Earth. The geothermal sector is growing rapidly, making this renewable energy source a competitor to fossil fuels and a great hope for the future. Background: Geothermal energy is heat from the Earth's interior. This thermal energy consists of steam or hot water that collects… half of the paper… Thermal Energy Production, January 16, 2008, Mark A. Taylor http://www.geoenergy.org/publications/reports /Geothermal_Production_and_Development_Update_January_16_2008. html-The State of Geothermal Subsurface Technology Part1, November 2007, Mark A. Taylor -http://www.geo-energy.org/aboutGE/basics.asp-US Department of Energy: Geothermal Power Plants http:/ /www1. eere.energy.gov/geothermal/powerplants.html-Energy Information Association http://www.eia.doe.gov/kids/energyfacts/sources/grothermal.html-United States Energy Consumption Data Tables http://www .eia.doe.gov/cneaf/solar.renwables/page/rea_data/rea.pdf-Geothermal Power- Energy America -http://www.energyamericaini.com/index.php/geo_power/-National Geothermal Collaborative -Common Questions on geothermal energy http://www.geocollaborative.org/publications/common_questions_About_Geothermal_energy.pdf