Iceland magma drilling project may revive giant UK power cable link

[EC]

Scientists will study the possibility of producing geothermal energy from magma for the first time, in a $100 million project in Iceland, which if successful could produce up to 10 times more energy than from a conventional well.

The project is being coordinated by Iceland's Geothermal Research Group (GEORG) and the British Geological Survey, with the participation of 38 institutes and companies from 11 countries including the United States, Canada and Russia.

Producing geothermal energy from magma would enable Iceland to export more energy and could also revive a plan to build a power cable from Iceland to Britain to provide power to British homes, in what would be the world's longest power interconnector.

Iceland, a volcanic island that produces all its electricity from geothermal energy and hydropower, agreed with Britain last year to study building the 1,000-km long IceLink cable, which could power 1.6 million British homes.

More: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-iceland-energy-britain-idUSKBN17C17E

[thackney]

http://www.livescience.com/57833-scientists-drill-volcano-core-geothermal-energy.html

When I lived in Alaska, a similar project was proposed.

https://www.adn.com/alaska-news/article/volcano-power-alaska-plans-another-geothermal-lease-sale/2013/02/11/

[IsailedawayfromFR]

Guess I do not understand what's the big deal here. There are many geothermal wells in the world.  I worked on the Darajat field in Java myself.

Principals are the same, withe key differences being a natural water recharging or one induced.

[the_doc]

Guess I do not understand what's the big deal here. There are many geothermal wells in the world.  I worked on the Darajat field in Java myself.

Principals are the same, withe key differences being a natural water recharging or one induced.

Do you figure that the Iceland project will drill down to magma and inject water directly into the well to make steam?  I can't imagine a heat exchanger capable of handling magma. 

I am also intrigued by the circulation issues for the magma.  I assume that direct steam generation could cool the lava in a way that would freeze it solid.   

[IsailedawayfromFR]

Do you figure that the Iceland project will drill down to magma and inject water directly into the well to make steam?  I can't imagine a heat exchanger capable of handling magma. 

I am also intrigued by the circulation issues for the magma.  I assume that direct steam generation could cool the lava in a way that would freeze it solid.   

i really don't know about the circulation.  Like I had said, the key uncertainty in geothermal projects is the reliability of supply of water to replenish the steam produced.  That will make or break a project.

Magma as a geothermal source is no different than any other place in the world that uses geothermal energy, except it presumably is hotter as it exists as a semiliquid that flows.

Guess if turned into a solid they would have a problem, but maybe not.