Swiss and Australian companies are battling to be the first ones in developing a geothermal power plant. Geothermal power plants may seem simple on paper but actually they require engineering at a scale never been used before and the expertise of the best in the business. If everything goes according to plans they can be used to generate 100 Gigawatts of electricity something equal to the combined output of all 104 nuclear power plants in the U.S.
What is a Geothermal Power Plant?
Geothermal Power Plants make use of the heat of the Earth to superheat water that is then used to power a steam turbine. For all this scientists and engineers have to dig below the surface of Earth and then insert shafts into the holes. Once the shafts are in place, cold water is shot down into it and bring superheated water back to the surface and then use it to move steam turbines.
Eco-friendliness
Scientists claim that electricity generation through this method is a completely safe, clean, and a virtually inexhaustible process and can fill the world’s annual needs 250,000 times over with nearly zero impact on the climate or the environment.
High Costs
There is no question that the project is much better than using nuclear energy, however the costs of Geothermal Power Plants is much higher than their counterparts. Even drilling a three mile tunnel below the surface of earth would cost around $8 million and to generate 100 Gigawatts of electricity an investment of over a billion dollars will be required.
Rocks will eventually cool down
The rocks tapped by drilling would lose their heat in a few decades and then new wells would have to be drilled elsewhere. The tunnels also suffer a huge risk from earthquakes.
Via: Spluch
