"Dry Rock" Geothermal Energy Well Technology
Drawing heat from the core of the Earth is not exactly a new idea. People have bathed in hot springs for centuries and in the Roman baths such sources were often used to heat the water. Modern technology however makes it possible to have minor tremors caused by drilling.
While the earthquake only registered 3.8 on the Richter scale making it capable of being felt by humans it was not triggered by the movement of tectonic plates or natural activity that occurs prior to the eruption of a volcano. No, instead the earthquake started because drillers were attempting to get more heat from within the surface of the earth.
Geothermal energy may be virtually inexhaustible, but the problems with setting it up - other than the incidental earthquake caused by drilling - are primarily ones of cost. The type of geothermal energy that caused the earthquake in Basel uses something called "dry rock" technology. The idea is to drill a hole deep enough into the earth to get the heat out of it. In order to operate start such a rig for power in the United States, the cost would be roughly $7 million dollars. (Oil rigs in comparison take $1.44 million dollars to drill.) In addition as the "wells" required to run this technology do not go deep into the Earth, the laws of thermodynamics dictate that the head will dissipate from the well requiring a new drill to be set up every few decades. A similar project in the United States conducted by MIT eventually ran out of funding to continue research.
While setting up a geothermal power plant may be more costly than traditional coal operations, it is cheaper to run once it is in place. The need to draw a new well every so often in places that do not have significant geological activity will have to be something that is overcome by current researchers hoping to use it as a long term solution. For now only those who live in places with a readily available source of heat coming directly from the center of the earth will benefit.
Sources:
http://www.climate.org/topics/green/geo.shtml
"An Underground Furnace." Elaine Engeler and Alexander G. Higgins. The Daily Item. August 8, 2007. Sunbury, PA
Published by S. Landis
Born early in one February morning in 1977, the world has since graced me with its presence View profile
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1 Comments
Post a CommentThe New Zealanders are world leaders in geothermal energy production. They've got hot spring power plants in the volcanic regions of the North Island. See, so it's not just all sheep and cheese down there! Way to go, Kiwis!