Research, discovery, creativity and innovation have a way of coming forward with seemingly high user costs that come down as ideas grow into larger markets. A prime example is wind power that we’ve seen grow from nearly invisible to forests of wind turbines across swaths of North America. Many wonder what is so slow about geothermal.
The answer is fundamental. It’s the cost to get to the heat source. In geologically active areas of the world like Iceland, Indonesia, and Chile the heat is very close to the surface requiring low access costs. Iceland can take advantage of this low-hanging energy by directly circulating that heat from naturally occurring hot fluids through buildings for heating. While there is heat to had for the taking across much of the planet’s land surface area – it’s not so easy as the heat is found deeper.
But geothermal is impervious to weather conditions. That independence means it provides excellent base load electricity. Geothermal is going to grow, here’s why.
Using enhanced geothermal systems (EGS) that are in development now will offer two major advancements. First are hot rocks that are artificially fractured, perhaps even at great depths. Then water, other fluids and perhaps gases are injected to contact the hot rocks and then drawn back to the surface where the heat energy is captured and used to generate electricity. So far, these are very expensive ventures, with costs in excess of $10 million dollars. That’s ten times the cost of a conventional shallow geothermal well, 2 to 5 times the cost of a shale formation natural gas well. It’s a major investment.
It’s worth it though. In Australia, a relatively advanced EGS experimental systems in granites produces high heat due to radioactive decay at depths greater than 3 km, are seen as viable geothermal reservoirs. In fact for South Australia alone, some 23 companies have filed for licenses covering 110,000 sq km where suitable hot granite is believed to exist at accessible depths. The key there is once the system is built on a good site it will be tapped into a constant, virtually limitless supply of energy that’s available without cost. The investments are in getting to the heat and the plant to handle it. As more plants are built and improved from experience the investment and operating costs will come down.
Read more: http://newenergyandfuel.com/http:/newenergyandfuel/com/2009/12/15/the-case-for-more-geothermal-power/Want to help with Global-Warming? Please visit http://www.whiteearth.org
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