Yellowstone Geothermal Power

[Jethro Tull]

I am very interested in discussing some ideas for clean energy sources that work in harmony with nature to tap into what nature provides without harming the environment. I'd like to share a small section from a book I have been reading about Yellowstone Geothermal Power.

 

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Doing anything is better than just burning the money up.

 

We should actually use a mix of different technologies to generate the power we need. Geothermal power taps the endless heat of the earth and will be much cheaper than the towers in some areas. The Yellowstone area could provide all our energy needs by itself. The buffalo would not mind. The environmentalist will love it, because nothing will do more for the environment than using clean energy. We could supply the whole countries power just from Yellowstone.

 

We could take a lot of heat and cool off that future super volcano a little bit and could even delay an eruption. If the Yellowstone area volcano erupts, it could destroy the US and maybe the whole world. An eruption is overdue, so anything we can do to cool it off would be a good thing.

 

Taking heat from Yellowstone to produce electricity could supply all our energy needs and put off an eruption. The technology to do it is available now. Greenland gets most of its power now from geothermal. We can just hire the people that did it there to do it here.

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From page 192 of The Present at www.truthcontest.com

 

This looks nice on paper, but is it reasonable? Could we actually walk the walk with this plan and move away from burning valuable, destructive fossil fuels? Please share your thoughts! :shrug:

[freeztar]

We could supply the whole counties power just from Yellowstone.

 

It is a site rule that you support your claims. Please consider this when making claims such as the one above. Can you provide a link that shows the feasibility of this?

 

I'm not an expert in geothermal energy, but I'm quite sure that an area the size of Yellowstone could not provide anywhere close to enough energy to power the whole US. My suspicions seem justified by this wiki article:

 

Although geothermal power plants, concentrated in the West, provide the third largest domestic source of renewable electricity after hydroelectricity and biomass, they currently produce less than one percent of total U.S. electricity supply. However, a geothermal resource assessment shows that nine western states together have the potential to provide over 20 percent of national electricity needs.[2]

Geothermal energy in the United States - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[Moontanman]

One big problem with Yellowstone is that it's so far away from everything. transmitting that power to far away areas is difficult and results in much of the power being lost due to resistance in the wires.

[Jethro Tull]

It is a site rule that you support your claims. Please consider this when making claims such as the one above. Can you provide a link that shows the feasibility of this?

 

Thanks for the heads up. I have no support for that claim; it is a very big jump and was just part of the book I quoted. Should have noticed such a blaring feasibility problem. I also agree that the statement is quite an exaggeration.

 

One big problem with Yellowstone is that it's so far away from everything. transmitting that power to far away areas is difficult and results in much of the power being lost due to resistance in the wires.

 

Good point. I was thinking more along the lines of storing the power locally, and possibly using it to further advancement in hydrogen technology. You can never get enough energy, and the oil companies and the supporters of "clean coal" want people to perceive scarcity in energy. There is quite an abundance...nuclear reactor in the sky...but for this thread, we will focus on the heat from the Earth.

 

I'm no expert either, but I see Yellowstone Geothermal Power as a potentially cost efficient endeavor, considering the ridiculous amount of heat generated in the area. One thing I have read about, however, is the seismic activity in the area, which could potentially cause problems with the plants. What do you think about that?

[freeztar]

I see Yellowstone Geothermal Power as a potentially cost efficient endeavor, considering the ridiculous amount of heat generated in the area.

 

I do think the idea has some merit.

 

One thing I have read about, however, is the seismic activity in the area, which could potentially cause problems with the plants. What do you think about that?

 

I could certainly see this being a problem, especially if you are creating hydrogen gas. Though, how many geothermal areas exist that don't have any seismic activity? I'm not positive, but I would think the answer to that question would be zero.

 

It may be that the bigger problem is geothermal power plants *causing* earthquakes.

 

Power companies have long produced limited amounts of geothermal energy by tapping shallow steam beds, often beneath geysers or vents called fumaroles. Those projects can induce earthquakes, although most are small. But for geothermal energy to be used more widely, engineers need to find a way to draw on the heat at deeper levels percolating in the earth's core.

 

But because large earthquakes tend to originate at great depths, breaking rock that far down carries more serious risk, seismologists say. Seismologists have long known that human activities can trigger quakes, but they say the science is not developed enough to say for certain what will or will not set off a major temblor.

 

The technique to tap geothermal energy creates earthquakes because it requires injecting water at great pressure down drilled holes to fracture the deep bedrock. The opening of each fracture is, literally, a tiny earthquake in which subterranean stresses rip apart a weak vein, crack or fault in the rock. The high-pressure water can be thought of loosely as a lubricant that makes it easier for those forces to slide the earth along the weak points, creating a web or network of fractures.

 

On Dec. 8, 2006, Markus O. Häring's geothermal project in Basel, Switzerland, was halted when it set off an earthquake, shaking and damaging buildings and terrifying many.

Geothermal Power - News - Science - The New York Times