3 ms·
Some available is more available than others I believe that the issue is that the Earth's crust isn't uniformly thick, and that there are places where one coul
by hguant 5y ago
Some available is more available than others
I believe that the issue is that the Earth's crust isn't uniformly thick, and that there are places where one could drill for miles without reaching magma/suitable heat sources, and other places (Costa Rica and Iceland come to mind) where the suitable heat sources are essentially on the surface.
Or, looking at it another way - oil drilling happens all over the globe and "hitting magma" isn't really a risk they're concerned about because it's so deep, that even the industry concerned with drilling too greedily and too deep doesn't intersect with it.
- ncmncm 5y agoMagma is not necessary for geothermal. Regular fracking methods suffice to get to sufficiently hot strata. Once at the right level, you drill two holes horizontally in parallel for several hundred yards and pump cooled water down one and get hot water out the other. It stays liquid under pressure and boils water in a heat exchanger at the surface. The tech is still at pilot stage, but with no fundamental problems to solve. The important question is whether it will be able to compete commercially with solar and wind, which costs are still in free-fall.