Energy Search Goes Underground in Switzerland (AP)
Geothermal energy is one of the most intriguing renewable sources for me. Humans have used natural hot springs for millenia. A recent AP article reports on the latest efforts in Europe to tap hot rocks deep underground as a way to heat water to produce energy.
August 17, 2007
"MIT said an investment of $1 billion could produce more than the combined output of all 104 nuclear power plants in the U.S."
"A study released this year by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology said an investment of $800 million to $1 billion could produce more than 100 gigawatts of electricity by 2050, equaling the combined output of all 104 nuclear power plants in the U.S."
Here's how it works:
"On paper, the Basel project looks fairly straightforward: Drill down, shoot cold water into the shaft and bring it up again superheated and capable of generating enough power through a steam turbine to meet the electricity needs of 10,000 households, and heat 2,700 homes.Scientists say this geothermal energy, clean, quiet and virtually inexhaustible, could fill the world's annual needs 250,000 times over with nearly zero impact on the climate or the environment."
I remember visiting Yellowstone National Park as a child growing up in Montana. In the 1960s I went to Iceland and realized how modern civilization was using geothermal energy for pollution-free electricity and heat. (Iceland seeks to be, in the relatively short term, energy independent and free of fossil-powered electric plants.)
"Energy search goes underground" (Associated Press via the P-I)
More on renewable energy.