4 ms·

Sorry for my ignorance but…can’t this be turned into an energy source?

• Retric 5y ago
  Yes, but it hasn’t been considered economically viable to try. Another significant concern is if placing heavy equipment here would cause another collapse.
• speed_spread 5y ago
  In theory, yes. Practically, it's in the middle of nowhere. It has a clearly non-optimal shape for a boiler. You'd need to setup lots of piping and a steam turbine on potentially unstable ground. Since it's in the desert, there's no large body of water around so you would use a closed cycle system, meaning you need to turn steam back to liquid after you're done, limiting net power output. All to end up collecting a minor fraction of the energy, to send it... where?
  • sysOpOpPERAND 5y ago
    it would be interesting to use it as a way to pump water and desalinated it, then use that clean water to reforest the dessert by making swells in the soil that collect the water. but don't know the area, the ocean might be pretty far away
    • EarlKing 5y ago
      > Turkmenistan > the ocean might be pretty far away That, sir, would be an understatement.
      • nl 5y ago
        To be fair Turkmenistan does border the Caspian Sea (the world's largest lake). The nearby Aral Sea has been pumped dry, and the Caspian sea is dropping at 7cm/year though: https://theconversation.com/the-caspian-sea-is-set-to-fall-by-9-metres-or-more-this-century-an-ecocide-is-imminent-152229 https://theconversation.com/the-caspian-sea-is-set-to-fall-b...
    • foobar1962 5y ago
      Reforest the desert… surely humans have fucked up the environment enough times to realise that ideas like this only end badly.
  • shadowgovt 5y ago
    To mine Bitcoin, I assume.
• tootahe45 5y ago
  Don't give the bitcoin bros any ideas
  • enchiridion 5y ago
    Wait that’s actually a great idea. It’s totally wasted now. One of the other comments say where would you send the power because it’s in the middle of no where. Small initial investment and some satellite internet and your off to the races. I mean, it’s literally a complete waste right now, the Bitcoin infra might eventually become developed enough to complete cover the crater. Then you could potentially extinguish it and sell the gas. What am I missing here?
    • pyrale 5y ago
      > What am I missing here? It would still be a complete waste. Also all the work needed to set the plan in motion would probably be more expensive than just buying energy in a more convenient location.
  • zimbu668 5y ago
    Ideas like mining bitcoin with otherwise non-economical natural gas? Too late: https://blog.upstreamdata.ca/datacenters/ https://blog.upstreamdata.ca/datacenters/