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Short answer: no For a slightly longer answer, here is the conclusion of the article: Trying to build an enormous geothermal power plant and associated transm

by GuB-42 4y ago

Short answer: no For a slightly longer answer, here is the conclusion of the article: Trying to build an enormous geothermal power plant and associated transmission lines(!) in one of the most beloved National Parks(!!), which there’s specifically a law against (!!!), and which could potentially trigger a civilization-destroying volcanic eruption (!!!!) is like the final boss of the permitting reform movement. Also, most volcanologists don't expect Yellowstone to erupt anytime soon, if at all.

thesis 4y ago
Anytime soon is one thing, but "If at all"? It's been happening for millions of years, and it sure seems like there still "activity" there. Not sure what kind of scientist could say they don't expect it to ever erupt again?
- deleted 4y ago
  [deleted]
- lkbm 4y ago
  If we can be pretty confident it'll be 100 years, that's long enough for technology to progress a lot before we fiddle with it. Not sure what "soon" means in this case, but I suspect they don't mean "within a couple years".
  - magicalhippo 4y ago
    > Not sure what "soon" means in this case Like there being infinite number of infinities that are ever larger, there's a seemingly infinite number of soons, each further away in time than the previous. So I propose we invent something like aleph[1], but for soon. This way we can communicate clearly just how soon soon is. [1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aleph_number https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aleph_number
  - friend_and_foe 4y ago
    Technological advancement doesn't happen Inna vacuum. To get good at things you have to try them. Getting good at the sort of technology required to build such a project requires trying such a project. It's not a matter of waiting 100 years, it's a matter of trial and error for 100 years.
    - lkbm 4y ago
      This is true, but large engineering projects aren't a single technology. There are a lot of ways we'll improve relevant technologies without actually working on this directly. Presumably the fracking industry is improving our ability to model the subsurface, for example. This also means other industries (such as fracking) would learn a lot from a massive Yellowstone geoengineering project, but other projects and smaller geothermal projects should make this one more feasible and predictable. (This is how I feel about geoengineering in general: it's expensive and risky, but may end up being necessary, so let's practice on a smaller, safer scale before massive, dangerous projects become urgently needed.)
koheripbal 4y ago
The issue is drilling into a very deep magma chamber. It's not like drilling the edge of a balloon. It's more like drilling into progressively softer jello. The hole will collapse on itself before you can release a useful amount of heat.

by GuB-42 4y ago

thesis 4y ago

Anytime soon is one thing, but "If at all"? It's been happening for millions of years, and it sure seems like there still "activity" there. Not sure what kind of scientist could say they don't expect it to ever erupt again?

deleted 4y ago
[deleted]
lkbm 4y ago
If we can be pretty confident it'll be 100 years, that's long enough for technology to progress a lot before we fiddle with it. Not sure what "soon" means in this case, but I suspect they don't mean "within a couple years".
- magicalhippo 4y ago
  > Not sure what "soon" means in this case Like there being infinite number of infinities that are ever larger, there's a seemingly infinite number of soons, each further away in time than the previous. So I propose we invent something like aleph[1], but for soon. This way we can communicate clearly just how soon soon is. [1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aleph_number https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aleph_number
- friend_and_foe 4y ago
  Technological advancement doesn't happen Inna vacuum. To get good at things you have to try them. Getting good at the sort of technology required to build such a project requires trying such a project. It's not a matter of waiting 100 years, it's a matter of trial and error for 100 years.
  - lkbm 4y ago
    This is true, but large engineering projects aren't a single technology. There are a lot of ways we'll improve relevant technologies without actually working on this directly. Presumably the fracking industry is improving our ability to model the subsurface, for example. This also means other industries (such as fracking) would learn a lot from a massive Yellowstone geoengineering project, but other projects and smaller geothermal projects should make this one more feasible and predictable. (This is how I feel about geoengineering in general: it's expensive and risky, but may end up being necessary, so let's practice on a smaller, safer scale before massive, dangerous projects become urgently needed.)

koheripbal 4y ago

The issue is drilling into a very deep magma chamber. It's not like drilling the edge of a balloon. It's more like drilling into progressively softer jello. The hole will collapse on itself before you can release a useful amount of heat.