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Geothermal power
    #5638463 -

Inspired by the hydrogen fuel thread, I'm making a geothermal power thread.

Just wondering, does anybody know if geothermal power is ever utilized? What's stopping somebody (or has somebody already done it) from drilling a hole deep enough in the ground where the pressure of the Earth creates enough heat to boil water and run the steam through turbines to generate electricity?

Seems like if you dig deep enough there would be a never-ending supply of consistent heat.


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ca'rouse (k-rouz)
intr.v.
To engage in boisterous, drunken merrymaking.

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Re: Geothermal power [Re: TODAY]
    #5638697 -

I'm not gonna pretend to be an expert on the subject, but in my opinion this idea is plagued by tons of problems.

Maintanence would be #1.  Any area that hot that deep would be incredibly hard to maintain.  Who would work there? 
The area would also be extremely unstable i would assume, since we'd probably pick a spot where the heat is closest to the earth's crust (ie, lava channels).

Altho who knows, could be worth a shot.  :shrug:


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~Happy sailing~

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Re: Geothermal power [Re: TODAY]
    #5639009 -

I don't have anything to back this up, but it sounds technical feasible,but ultimately impractical to say the least.

If the pressure of the earth was enough to boil something,wouldn't it crush the pipe or whatever it's made out of?

It could work where there are geysers and whatnot I would think...but just digging a really,really deep hole? Ain't gonna happen...

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Re: Geothermal power [Re: monamine]
    #5639169 -

i see a long long time ago in a cartoon with dinosuars where they stuck some kinda machine or something ontop of a active volcano.


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We were sent to hell for eternity :hellfire: Ø:omgawesome:h®
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Re: Geothermal power [Re: makaveli8x8]
    #5640310 -

makaveli8x8 said:
i see a long long time ago in a cartoon with dinosuars where they stuck some kinda machine or something ontop of a active volcano.


that's the answer i was looking for :P


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ca'rouse (k-rouz)
intr.v.
To engage in boisterous, drunken merrymaking.

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Re: Geothermal power [Re: TODAY]
    #5640329 -

Yes, geothermal power is utilized, and it's highly efficient. The problem is that with current technology, you can only have a geothermal plant along a faultline or in a volcanically active area. Iceland gets most of its power from geothermal energy, and I believe Australia has lots of geothermal plants as well. I think there's also a big one in southern California, along the San Andreas faultline. I think if we could develop the technology to have geothermal power in any area, we could significantly reduce our dependence on foreign oil, and have a much cleaner environment.


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Re: Geothermal power [Re: TODAY]
    #5640516 -

pressure of the Earth creates enough heat to boil water

pressure isn't what creates the earth's heat and it certainly doesn't boil water. the earth's heat is mostly the result of radioactive decay of unstable elements.

If the pressure of the earth was enough to boil something

pressure doesn't boil things. it prevents them from boiling.

Iceland gets most of its power from geothermal energy

less than a quarter.



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Re: Geothermal power [Re: TODAY]
    #5641088 -

I stayed at a cabin in New Mexico that was heated with a small geothermal unit. No electricity though.


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I keep it real because I think it is important that a highly esteemed individual such as myself keep it real lest they experience the dreaded spontaneous non-existance of no longer keeping it real. - Hagbard Celine

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Re: Geothermal power [Re: wilshire]
    #5641173 -

wilshire said:
the earth's heat is mostly the result of radioactive decay of unstable elements.



Probably.

Quote:
Iceland gets most of its power from geothermal energy

less than a quarter.



Less than a quarter of Iceland's electrical power needs comes from geothermal power, but nearly all of it's heating power needs comes from geothermal sources. The bulk of electricity in Iceland is produced from hydroelectric sources. As a side note, electricity is so cheap in Iceland that it is a major producer of aluminum even though it has no aluminum ore of its own. It's actually cheaper to import boat loads of aluminum ore and process it into raw aluminum there (an electricity-intensive process) than it is to process it near the site of extraction from the Earth.



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Re: Geothermal power [Re: ChuangTzu]
    #5641239 -

http://www.os.is/page/energy_use


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Grow Mushrooms from Spores - PF-Tek for Simple Minds

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Re: Geothermal power [Re: Anno]
    #5641405 -

That's awesome. Thanks.

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Re: Geothermal power [Re: wilshire]
    #5641986 -

wilshire said:
If the pressure of the earth was enough to boil something

pressure doesn't boil things. it prevents them from boiling.

Iceland gets most of its power from geothermal energy



oops, yes I do know that but I also know that increased pressure means increased heat and if the temperature was high enough it could boil the water at watever the corresponding pressure at X feet below sea level.


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ca'rouse (k-rouz)
intr.v.
To engage in boisterous, drunken merrymaking.

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General Interest > Science and Technology
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