There is only one goddess Gaia and Al Gore is her only prophet...

[--Pete]

Hi,

They seem nearly the same to me, other than the use of water and steam for turbines. There are such things as low temperature turbines, which can use a low boiling point fluid, and run in a closed loop with a partial vacuum aiding in lowering the boiling point. The same principles and components apply though, heat source, compressor, evaporator, condenser, turbine, generator.

Heat pumps move thermal energy from a region of low temperature to one of high. Geothermal generators use the thermal energy of the earth to heat a fluid to run a turbine to make electricity. The heat pump uses electricity, the generator makes it. Perhaps you are confusing geothermal generators with geothermal heat pumps, which are very similar to heat pumps since they are one.

--Pete