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Geothermal energy


Atreides

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Intro: Geothermal/hot rock technology works by drilling holes about 3 miles deep into the earth, sending down cold water and getting the superheated water back up to turn turbines to produce electricity and heat buildings etc.

 

Link: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070804/ap_on_...Pyy4jIyeiGs0NUE

 

I found this on news.yahoo and considering I read about this in highschool, so this must have been around for awhile. Given the interest in renewable energy sources I'm surprised this hasn't been given more consideration.

 

If you're pressed for time, here's a summary of advantages and disadvantages from the piece which is a good read.

 

Advantages

-Renewable, available anywhere. Just drill down

-Can be done on land - less complex?

-"Clean, quiet, virtually inexhaustible" (from link)

-Can produce most energy needs (replace others sources?)

-No radioactivity

-Can operate 24 hrs, doesn't depend on weather conditions etc

 

Disadvantages

-Drilling's expensive

-Research funding's low. People are taking a wait and see/analyzing

-Risk of earthquakes - from drilling (which should stop once it's in place), and from water pumped down/up moves soil

-Competition from cheaper energy sources (coal etc) means lower interest for now

-Heat from wells decreases after a few decades, may need new ones (comparable to other energy plants like nuclear etc?)

 

 

Anyone have experience with this? Sounds like a more sustainable idea to me than biofuels etc and has strong output.

 

Plus I like hot sprints oh yeah ^__^

Spreading beauty with my katana.

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Sure, and when we're armpit deep in morlocks, I'll know who to blame.

 

YOU!

"It wasn't lies. It was just... bull****"."

             -Elwood Blues

 

tarna's dead; processing... complete. Disappointed by Universe. RIP Hades/Sand/etc. Here's hoping your next alt has a harp.

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We already use a similar system in Sweden(berg/jord-v

Edited by Kaftan Barlast

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i'm curious what the chat pile from a 3-mile deep well looks like. drilling any well causes harm to the environment simply because you expose the underlying rock to the weather, and various compounds leach out into the surrounding land. it's an otherwise solid idea...

 

taks

comrade taks... just because.

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I was reading wiki and found something interesting:

 

Chevron Corporation is the world's largest producer of geothermal energy. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geothermal_power)

 

Chevron Corporation (NYSE: CVX) is one of the world's largest global energy companies.... Chevron is one of the world's six "supermajor" oil companies. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chevron_Corporation)

 

 

*Of course the disclaimers about wiki not being the most dependable source of info etc applies here.

Spreading beauty with my katana.

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