NewsTrust - Geothermal Energy - Most Recent Stories

How Does Geothermal Drilling Trigger Earthquakes?

Fri, 11 Jun 2010 00:00:00 -0700

Scientific American - By Katherine Harmon - Jun. 11 () - You can think about The Geysers—the upper three miles (4.8 kilometers) of crust—as a sponge, and the sponge is wet. Now we're taking fluid out of the sponge, and we're taking heat out of the sponge. When you dry out a sponge, it contracts. The Geysers is contracting. From the data, we can see it pulling in, which means that it's changing the stress field around it. Surrounding the field are some active faults, which have the capacity for some larger earthquakes. So one day one of the tectonic faults is going to move. People are going to ask the question: Did the shrinkage of The Geysers cause the movement of the fault? If that's the case then we have a larger issue.

NewsTrust Rating: 4.0 average (not enough reviews) - See Review » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

Greenqloud, Iceland’s Clean Power Cloud Computing Co.

Fri, 28 May 2010 00:00:00 -0700

earth2tech.com - By Katie Fehrenbacher - May. 28 (News) - The idea is to rent space in data centers based in Iceland and sell cloud computing services to web companies and individuals all over the world that want to manage their carbon footprint and embrace clean power. The cloud computing services include virtual server hosting, data storage, scientific data processing and software as a service infrastructure.

NewsTrust Rating: 3.5 average (not enough reviews) - See Review » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

Google-Funded Geothermal Drilling System Could Reduce Costs

Wed, 26 May 2010 00:00:00 -0700

energyboom.com - By Jeanne Roberts - May. 26 (News Report) - The process for creating geothermal wells is very similar to that used for extracting oil and gas, at least in the initial phases.

NewsTrust Rating: 3.3 average - 5 Reviews » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

Mining Magnate Ross Beaty is Turning to Geothermal

Mon, 24 May 2010 00:00:00 -0700

Forbes - By Jonathan Fahey - May. 24 (Special Report) - Ross Beaty made a fortune mining gold, silver and copper. Now he's trying to mine water--very, very hot water.

NewsTrust Rating: 3.6 average - 3 Reviews » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

Geothermal Power

Thu, 01 Apr 2010 00:00:00 -0700

Wikipedia - Apr. 01 (Special Report) - Geothermal power (from the Greek roots geo, meaning earth, and thermos, meaning heat) is power extracted from heat stored in the earth. This geothermal energy originates from the original formation of the planet, from radioactive decay of minerals, and from solar energy absorbed at the surface. It has been used for bathing since Paleolithic times and for space heating since ancient Roman times, but is now better known for generating electricity. Worldwide, about 10,715 megawatts (MW) of geothermal power is online in 24 countries. An additional 28 gigawatts of direct geothermal heating capacity is installed for district heating, space heating, spas, industrial processes, desalination and agricultural applications. Geothermal power is cost effective, reliable, sustainable, and environmentally friendly, but has historically been limited to areas near tectonic plate boundaries. Recent technological advances have dramatically expanded the range and size of viable resources, especially for applications such as home heating, opening a potential for widespread exploitation. Geothermal wells release greenhouse gases trapped deep within the earth, but these emissions are much lower per energy unit than those of fossil fuels. As a result, geothermal power has the potential to help mitigate global warming if widely deployed in place of fossil fuels. The Earth's geothermal resources are theoretically more than adequate to supply humanity's energy needs, but only a very small fraction of it may be profitably exploited. Drilling and exploration for deep resources costs tens of millions of dollars, and success is not guaranteed. Forecasts for the future penetration of geothermal power depend on assumptions about technology growth, the price of energy, subsidies, and interest rates.

NewsTrust Rating: 4.1 average - 4 Reviews » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

Boiling Point: High Hopes for Geothermal Energy

Thu, 14 Jan 2010 00:00:00 -0800

Wall Street Journal - By Paul Glader - Jan. 14 (News Report) - Geothermal’s potential, thanks to advanced technologies, could be huge. The U.S. Geological Survey notes about 6,000 megawatts of discovered geothermal supplies (that’s like six nuclear power plants), with undiscovered potential between 8,000 and 73,000 megawatts. New technology could—theoretically—open the door to a whopping 800,000 megawatts.

NewsTrust Rating: 3.1 average - 3 Reviews » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

How a Geothermal Heat Pump Decreases Your Carbon Footprint

Wed, 13 Jan 2010 00:00:00 -0800

Improve Your Home and Garden - By Amity Hook-Sopko - Jan. 13 (Opinion) -

NewsTrust Rating: 2.9 average (not enough reviews) - See Reviews » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

Geothermal quake risks must be faced

Thu, 17 Dec 2009 00:00:00 -0800

Nature - By Domenico Giardini - Dec. 17 (Opinion) - Deep geothermal energy is increasingly being explored as an attractive alternative energy source. Conventional hydrothermal resources, such as hot springs in geothermal areas, have been effectively exploited in the past century, but their distribution and potential for supplying electricity is somewhat limited. Tapping deep geothermal energy offers new prospects.

NewsTrust Rating: 3.9 average - 3 Reviews » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

Joining the Energy Underground: Residential Geothermal Power Systems

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0800

Scientific American - Nov. 23 (Special Report) - In essence geothermal energy is power harnessed from the Earth itself. Heat from the Earth’s core, which averages about 6,650 degrees Fahrenheit, emanates out toward the planet’s surface. Heated springs and geysers up to three miles underground can be accessed by special wells that bring the hot water (or steam from it) up to the surface where it can be used directly for heat or indirectly to generate electricity by powering rotating turbines. Since the water under the Earth’s surface is constantly replenished, and the Earth’s core will continue to generate heat indefinitely, geothermal power is ultimately clean and renewable.

NewsTrust Rating: 3.5 average - 4 Reviews » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

Using Carbon Dioxide to Extract Geothermal Energy

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0800

MIT Technology Review - By Peter Fairley - Nov. 16 (News Report) - Carbon dioxide generated by power plants may find a second life as a working fluid to help recover geothermal heat from kilometers underground. Such a system would not only capture the carbon dioxide and keep it out of the atmosphere, it would also be a cost-effective way to use the greenhouse gas to generate new power.

NewsTrust Rating: 3.7 average (not enough reviews) - See Reviews » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

A Path to Sustainable Energy

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0800

Scientific American - By Mark Z. Jacobson, Mark A. Delucchi - Nov. 15 (Special Report) - (PDF) A 2009 Stanford University study ranked energy systems according their impacts on global warming, pollution, water supply, land use, wildlife and other concerns. The very best options were wind, solar, geothermal, tidal and hydroelectric power -- all of which are driven by wind, water and sunlight (referred to as WWS). Nuclear power, coal with carbon capture and ethanol were all poorer options, as were oil and natural gas.

NewsTrust Rating: 3.9 average (not enough reviews) - See Review » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

Rocking Energy - The Kuwait of the North

Fri, 19 Jun 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Popular Science - Jun. 19 (Special Report) - The Kuwait of the North: A two-mile geothermal well drilled into a volcano

NewsTrust Rating: Not rated yet - See Info » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

The Future of Energy: A Realist's Roadmap to 2050

Wed, 17 Jun 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Popular Science - Jun. 17 (Special Report) - A consensus is emerging among the international community that by 2050 we need to reduce emissions of C02, methane and other greenhouse gases to approximately 80 percent lower than they were in 1990. It will mean a wholesale reinvention of the global energy economy; anything less could result in catastrophe. Here's how we'll get there.

NewsTrust Rating: 3.5 average - 10 Reviews » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

The World's 10 Largest Renewable Energy Projects

Thu, 04 Jun 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Scientific American - By Christopher Mims - Jun. 04 (Special Report) - If renewable energy is going to be a bigger player and have a significant impact in cutting the greenhouse gas emissions from power plants that are driving climate change, it's going to have to grow quickly.

NewsTrust Rating: 3.6 average - 7 Reviews » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

Can Geothermal Power Compete with Coal on Price?

Mon, 02 Mar 2009 00:00:00 -0800

Scientific American - By Christopher Mims - Mar. 02 (News Report) - Two recent reports, among others, suggest that geothermal may actually be cheaper than every other source, including coal. Geothermal power plants work by pumping hot water from deep beneath Earth's surface, which can either be used to turn steam turbines directly or to heat a second, more volatile liquid such as isobutane (which then turns a steam turbine).

NewsTrust Rating: 3.5 average - 4 Reviews » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

Man-Made Geothermal Power: Wresting Energy from Hot Rocks--One Kilowatt at a Time

Tue, 17 Feb 2009 00:00:00 -0800

Scientific American - By Eitan Haddok, David Biello - Feb. 17 (Special Report) - Soultz-sous-Forêts's enhanced geothermal power plant involved drilling two pairs of boreholes down to deep, fractured rock—one from each pair in which hot fluid is extracted to deliver its calories and the others into which the cooled fluid is injected after it is used to make electricity.

NewsTrust Rating: Not rated yet - See Info » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

Credit Suisse: Geothermal as least expensive

Wed, 04 Feb 2009 00:00:00 -0800

thinkgeoenergy.com - By Alexander Richter - Feb. 04 (News Analysis) - The cost per MWh is compared and the order is: US$ 153 for solar crystalline, solar thermal at $ 90 per MWh compared to nuclear power at $ 62 and coal at $55, natural gas at $52 per MWh. The least expensive are wind at $ 43 and geothermal power at $36 per MWh.

NewsTrust Rating: 3.7 average (not enough reviews) - See Review » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

Energy: Boiling Point

Thu, 04 Dec 2008 00:00:00 -0800

Time - By Krista Mahr - Dec. 04 (Special Report) - Steam has long powered Icelandic dreams. Pockets of underground water heated by the earth's core may not be particularly glamorous, but tiny Iceland has spent decades figuring out useful ways to harness its heat and power, employing it for everything from baking bread to turning turbines. Geothermal power now provides cheap, clean heat to more than 90% of Icelandic homes, and generates 30% of the nation's electricity, a slice worth roughly $120 million. In recent years, as Icelanders became smitten with the idea that their ambitious banks could create a global financial center in the far north Atlantic, geothermal power got pushed out of the spotlight. But now, with the krona down 44% against the dollar compared to a year ago and most of Iceland's banks close to bankruptcy, this nation of 313,000 is taking another look at the incredible resource boiling away underfoot.

NewsTrust Rating: 3.8 average (not enough reviews) - See Reviews » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

One Hot Island: Iceland's Renewable Geothermal Power

Mon, 20 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700

Scientific American - By Christopher Mims - Oct. 20 (Special Report) - By financing thermal and electric power plants throughout the country, as well as the infrastructure required to deliver hot water to homes, the Icelandic government not only eliminated the country's dependence on fossil fuels for heating and electricity, but also jump-started an entire industry, according to Alexander Richter, Director of Sustainable Energy, Global Research and Communication at Glitnir Bank.

NewsTrust Rating: 3.7 average (not enough reviews) - See Reviews » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

Kenya energy goes green to meet electricity boom

Sun, 27 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0700

Agence France-Presse - Jul. 27 (News Report) - Facing soaring electricity demands, Kenya is opting to go full steam ahead with geothermal energy to boost its production while preserving its rich environmental heritage.

NewsTrust Rating: 3.2 average (not enough reviews) - See Review » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

In Iceland, Frozen Accounts, Boiling Assets

Tue, 10 Jun 2008 00:00:00 -0700

Time - Jun. 10 (Special Report) - Even as Iceland's finances collapse, it still reaps dividends from the geothermal heat boiling under its frozen landscapes

NewsTrust Rating: 3.4 average (not enough reviews) - See Review » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

Iceland's Heated Debate

Mon, 10 Mar 2008 00:00:00 -0700

National Geographic - By Marguerite Del Giudice - Mar. 10 (Special Report) - The people of Iceland awaken to a stark choice: exploit a wealth of clean energy or keep their landscape pristine.

NewsTrust Rating: Not rated yet - See Info » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

Chemistry Helps Scientists Spot Geothermal Power Sources

Fri, 30 Nov 2007 00:00:00 -0800

Wired - By Alexis Madrigal - Nov. 30 (News Report) - Scientists have announced a new method for evaluating an area’s geothermal energy potential, and it doesn’t require drilling, or that the site be nestled among volcanoes. The discovery could help unlock some of geothermal’s massive potential to provide clean power for the world.

NewsTrust Rating: 3.1 average (not enough reviews) - See Reviews » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer