A Buried Giant: Scientists Unearth Clean Energy Source Under USA Capable of Powering Earth for 170,0

[rangerrebew]

A Buried Giant: Scientists Unearth Clean Energy Source Under USA Capable of Powering Earth for 170,000 Years
 
Imagine a world free from the anxieties of fossil fuel dependence, a future where clean, abundant energy powers our homes, industries, and transportation for millennia. This once-distant dream has just taken a monumental leap towards reality with a recent, breathtaking scientific discovery. Researchers have identified a colossal, virtually untapped source of clean energy hidden deep beneath the landmass of the United States, an energy reservoir so vast it could, in theory, power the entire planet for an astonishing 170,000 years.
 
"This discovery isn't just significant; it's potentially world-changing," explains Dr. Alistair Finch, a geophysicist and energy systems expert. "It redefines our understanding of Earth's internal energy potential and offers a pathway to energy independence and a truly sustainable future that was previously almost unimaginable in scale."

The energy source in question is geothermal energy, but not the shallow, localized geothermal systems we currently tap. This discovery refers to the vast, superheated rock formations deep within the Earth's crust, a form of "enhanced geothermal systems" (EGS) that leverage the planet's own immense internal heat. While geothermal energy has long been recognized as a clean energy option, the sheer scale and accessibility of this newly identified resource are what make this discovery so revolutionary.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/weather/topstories/a-buried-giant-scientists-unearth-clean-energy-source-under-usa-capable-of-powering-earth-for-170-000-years/ar-AA1G5uJ2?ocid=widgetonlockscreen&cvid=6139bcf50f67471f8169131993767ed2&ei=150

[rangerrebew]

I'll bet it isn't as good as wind and solar though.

[rustynail]

They will inject cold water down there and cause the earth to crack apart.

[Free Vulcan]

They will inject cold water down there and cause the earth to crack apart.

I'm far more afraid they will tip over Guam.

[IsailedawayfromFR]

advanced seismic imaging and geological mapping techniques, has pinpointed regions beneath the United States where these hot rock formations are not only exceptionally vast but also located at depths that are technically feasible to access with current or near-future drilling technologies.

None of this is new, it is sensationalism.

I note the depth of the target is not cited.  Wells for oil and gas and research wells have been successfully drilled to 40,000' deep, which is where the sketchy 'technically feasible' comes from.

However, these are incredibly expensive (try +$100 million each) and will be alarmingly even more so when the superhot target temperatures have to be drilled through.

And I wonder how many hundreds of thousands of these wells will be required to generate the volumes cited for "unprecedented energy independence"

No, let's just be satisfied with the proven hydrocarbons production which will last us so many lifetimes as to be infinite

[Bigun]

advanced seismic imaging and geological mapping techniques, has pinpointed regions beneath the United States where these hot rock formations are not only exceptionally vast but also located at depths that are technically feasible to access with current or near-future drilling technologies.

None of this is new, it is sensationalism.

I note the depth of the target is not cited.  Wells for oil and gas and research wells have been successfully drilled to 40,000' deep, which is where the sketchy 'technically feasible' comes from.

However, these are incredibly expensive (try +$100 million each) and will be alarmingly even more so when the superhot target temperatures have to be drilled through.

And I wonder how many hundreds of thousands of these wells will be required to generate the volumes cited for "unprecedented energy independence"

No, let's just be satisfied with the proven hydrocarbons production which will last us so many lifetimes as to be infinite

  

There is so much thermal energy known to exist its mind blowing. Getting to it is another matter entirely.

[GtHawk]

I have seen this movie.


https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=w-PqtOCcCBY

[Smokin Joe]

 

There is so much thermal energy known to exist its mind blowing. Getting to it is another matter entirely.

Yep. I have been on only one 'hot' well (350 degree bottom hole temperatures) and we had a lot of problems with that. It wasn't intended to be a geothermal well, just had high heat flow there.

However, EGS technology aims to extract heat from dry, hot rock by injecting water at high pressure to create tiny fractures, allowing the water to circulate, heat up, and then be brought back to the surface to generate electricity.

What they are describing here is known as 'fracccing'. What comes up will be steam. This has been tried in the Black Rock Desert, IIRC, and the additional seismic activity caused led to a cessation of the program.

[BobfromWB]

A Buried Giant: Scientists Unearth Clean Energy Source Under USA Capable of Powering Earth for 170,000 Years
 
Imagine a world free from the anxieties of fossil fuel dependence, a future where clean, abundant energy powers our homes, industries, and transportation for millennia. This once-distant dream has just taken a monumental leap towards reality with a recent, breathtaking scientific discovery. Researchers have identified a colossal, virtually untapped source of clean energy hidden deep beneath the landmass of the United States, an energy reservoir so vast it could, in theory, power the entire planet for an astonishing 170,000 years.
 
"This discovery isn't just significant; it's potentially world-changing," explains Dr. Alistair Finch, a geophysicist and energy systems expert. "It redefines our understanding of Earth's internal energy potential and offers a pathway to energy independence and a truly sustainable future that was previously almost unimaginable in scale."

The energy source in question is geothermal energy, but not the shallow, localized geothermal systems we currently tap. This discovery refers to the vast, superheated rock formations deep within the Earth's crust, a form of "enhanced geothermal systems" (EGS) that leverage the planet's own immense internal heat. While geothermal energy has long been recognized as a clean energy option, the sheer scale and accessibility of this newly identified resource are what make this discovery so revolutionary.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/weather/topstories/a-buried-giant-scientists-unearth-clean-energy-source-under-usa-capable-of-powering-earth-for-170-000-years/ar-AA1G5uJ2?ocid=widgetonlockscreen&cvid=6139bcf50f67471f8169131993767ed2&ei=150

Novel Idea! Brilliant scientists! I remember hearing that idea back in the 1950s; next, they will discover a great unending source of funds: Federal grants ...

[Weird Tolkienish Figure]

There is a well known draw back to geothermal, it absolutely does increase seismic activity. This is a well known drawback.

[LadyLiberty]

Whisper Valley was built over a giant (man-made) geothermal grid.  https://www.fastcompany.com/90736944/houses-in-this-texas-development-pay-just-1-a-month-in-energy-bills-heres-how

[roamer_1]

Whisper Valley was built over a giant (man-made) geothermal grid.  https://www.fastcompany.com/90736944/houses-in-this-texas-development-pay-just-1-a-month-in-energy-bills-heres-how

So was Spokane Wa. . Their downtown area has geothermal available. And it has been there for many, many years. But it has it's troubles. One of my friends worked on that system, which broke often and was plagued with calcium deposits, and rotted and plugged pipes.

I wonder if the new plastics (think PEX) might resolve those issues, at least on the top end.  I dunno. Steam is a powerful genie that does not like to be contained.