Hot Promises of Geothermal Energy
| Tue Jan. 23, 2007 1:35 PM PST
A Massachusetts Institute of Technology-led study of geothermal energy within the US finds that mining the huge amounts of thermal energy stored in the Earth's rock crust could supply a substantial portion of the nation's electricity needs currently being generated by conventional fossil fuel, hydroelectric, and nuclear plants—at competitive prices and with minimal environmental impact. Go deep enough, and there's heat everywhere.
The study shows that drilling several wells to reach hot rock and connecting them to a fractured rock region that has been stimulated to let water flow through it creates a heat-exchanger that can produce large amounts of hot water or steam to run electric generators at the surface. Unlike conventional fossil-fuel power plants that burn coal, natural gas or oil, no fuel would be required. And unlike wind and solar systems, a geothermal plant works night and day, offering a non-interruptible source of electric power.
… "This environmental advantage is due to low emissions and the small overall footprint of the entire geothermal system, which results because energy capture and extraction is contained entirely underground, and the surface equipment needed for conversion to electricity is relatively compact," [Jefferson W.] Tester [the H. P. Meissner Professor of Chemical Engineering at MIT] said.
… Panel member Brian Anderson, an assistant professor at West Virginia University, noted that the drilling and reservoir technologies used to mine heat have many similarities to those used for extracting oil and gas. As a result, the geothermal industry today is well connected technically to two industry giants in the energy arena, oil and gas producers and electric power generators. With increasing demand for technology advances to produce oil and gas more effectively and to generate electricity with minimal carbon and other emissions, an opportunity exists to accelerate the development of EGS by increased investments by these two industries.
The study notes that government-funded research into geothermal was highly active in the 1970s and early 1980s, but that as oil prices declined, funding and geothermal research waned. Time to heat that up again.
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Comments
As tough as it is to read the 400 page report--it's even more difficult to read between the lines...
First off, the report recommends MUCH MORE TESTING--"A multiyear research program exploring subsurface science..." and "Field trials running from three to five years at several sites...," (which will take how many long years to initially build).
Oh, sure thing: "Government-funded research into geothermal was very active in the 1970s and early 1980s. As oil prices declined in the mid-1980s, enthusiasm for alternative energy sources waned ..."
Stop right there: now you don't have to be a weatherman to know which way the wind blows--but you'd have to be awfully stupid not to recognize how nice it would be to have a low cost supply of electric power for the nation...
In other words, you can lead a horse to water, but it's highly likely the water's been badly polluted by the oil companies...!!!
Consider how the report states, "It has been suggested RECENTLY that there is an ENORMOUS untapped hydrothermal energy resource associated with co-produced hot waters from oil and gas operations" (should be read Bush and Co. are not the sharpest tools in the shed?).
So..., obviously what's up is this: Bush finally comes onboard the global-warming ship, such now it's time to push geothermal, which just happens to already be a co-product of oil and gas production, which just happens to suggest that oil companies should be HEAVILY SUBSIDIZED on the rich geothermal research front...
Oh certainly it seems that the "common denominator" is two-fold: 1./ that the government is wasting as much time as possible before majorly implementing alternative energy systems (both taking care of "their oilmen brethren," and bringing us as close as possible to the brink (the crisis that will necessitate the take-over of the entire planet by our GREAT GOVERNMENT!!!)), and 2./ that the government is determined to subsidize major corporations in a very major way...
And, after all, when modern science tell us that eighty-five percent of the US electricity demand could be met with widmills--that's factoring in all the elements... With off-shore wind production those times when there is little wind wuld be even less of a factor (or so it seems to me).
I was propagating geothermal energy use for years on internet-lists and got no reasonable echo so I am thrilled to read about this MIT conference.
Alas in most cases the immense solute is an obstacle: when the underground heated water expands, it forms a 'mud'. That makes design and use very expensive. IMO it is mainly not a chem.eng. topic.
I would love to get into contact with researchers who could work with a secondary heat-extraction system - on economically more feasible grounds, involving profits for the oil industry as well.
My experience comes from utilization studies at European sites during the mid-900s.
I am not seeking big financial or societal or scientific AWARDS. I worked in water pollution technology and polymers for such.
I am not affiliated.
John Mikes PH.D., D.Sc.
jamikes@gmail.com
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