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Not quite. The original comment (by @animats) specified shallow (viable) versus deep (unviable). > nobody seems to have a profitable deep geothermal power ope

Not quite. The original comment (by @animats) specified shallow (viable) versus deep (unviable). > nobody seems to have a profitable deep geothermal power operation. That nuance got lost.

citadel_melon 2y ago
The original comment stated that shallow geothermal can be useful for heating, but did not say anything about shallow geothermal electricity generation.
- caminante 2y ago
  No. See the first paragraph. [0] The reference explicitly gets into "deep geothermal" (i.e., EGS) and talks about power applications that are viable because of limited drilling (i.e., shallow). > The more than 1 gigawatt of geothermal power currently produced globally — from California to Iceland to the Philippines — relies nearly exclusively on such natural outpourings of the earth’s heat. The building heat comment is just a reference to another residential/C&I application with ground loops. They're not dismissing or not acknowledging the grid-scale power applications. [0] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43234465 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43234465
  - citadel_melon 2y ago
    "Shallow geothermal for building heat works fine, but it takes a lot of drilling just to get some heat." From my understanding, this is all the original comment says about shallow geothermal. Correct me if I am misunderstanding. Moreover, I do not see the quote: "The more than 1 gigawatt of geothermal power currently produced globally — from California to Iceland to the Philippines — relies nearly exclusively on such natural outpourings of the earth’s heat" anywhere. Are we referring to the same comment, or am I misunderstanding something?
glenstein 2y ago
You're right that that nuance got lost and I'm sorry I overlooked it. Insofar as it relates to the commenter I'm replying to, they also seem not to be making a distinction about deep geothermal, but insisting that the difference between Iceland and the rest of the globe is an indictment of geothermal's viability deep or otherwise. Which doesn't follow.

Not quite. The original comment (by @animats) specified shallow (viable) versus deep (unviable). > nobody seems to have a profitable deep geothermal power operation. That nuance got lost.

citadel_melon 2y ago

The original comment stated that shallow geothermal can be useful for heating, but did not say anything about shallow geothermal electricity generation.

caminante 2y ago
No. See the first paragraph. [0] The reference explicitly gets into "deep geothermal" (i.e., EGS) and talks about power applications that are viable because of limited drilling (i.e., shallow). > The more than 1 gigawatt of geothermal power currently produced globally — from California to Iceland to the Philippines — relies nearly exclusively on such natural outpourings of the earth’s heat. The building heat comment is just a reference to another residential/C&I application with ground loops. They're not dismissing or not acknowledging the grid-scale power applications. [0] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43234465 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43234465
- citadel_melon 2y ago
  "Shallow geothermal for building heat works fine, but it takes a lot of drilling just to get some heat." From my understanding, this is all the original comment says about shallow geothermal. Correct me if I am misunderstanding. Moreover, I do not see the quote: "The more than 1 gigawatt of geothermal power currently produced globally — from California to Iceland to the Philippines — relies nearly exclusively on such natural outpourings of the earth’s heat" anywhere. Are we referring to the same comment, or am I misunderstanding something?

glenstein 2y ago

You're right that that nuance got lost and I'm sorry I overlooked it. Insofar as it relates to the commenter I'm replying to, they also seem not to be making a distinction about deep geothermal, but insisting that the difference between Iceland and the rest of the globe is an indictment of geothermal's viability deep or otherwise. Which doesn't follow.