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Frack a volcano for geothermal energy?

Thinking outside of the energy box!

This is the Newberry caldera in Oregon. I'll be curious to see if this works.

AltaRock Energy and Davenport Newberry, the companies behind the $43 million plan, have been granted a permit to hydrofrack the hot rocks flanking the Newberry volcano in Oregon, where Davenport Newberry has secured federal leases on 62 square miles of land. This will involve injecting water into a series of cracks in the rocks at a high enough pressure that it reaches three kilometres beneath the surface, fracturing connected veins of rock to access the heat beneath and creating a series of connected geothermal reservoirs in the process. Water will be introduced to these reservoirs, where heat from the rocks will turn it to steam, which then turns turbines at surface-level to generate electricity.

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Steph S. on October 4, 2012 at 6:28pm

Yeah I am curious too. It's a good alternate energy source.

Permalink Reply by Chris G on October 5, 2012 at 1:29pm

The U.S has 3086 MW of geothermal capacity from 77 power plants in 2010 per GEA 2010.

I was on working in Hawaii in 1993 near a just opened the 38 MW Puna geothermal power-plant that had a huge protest at the gate against it. Thermal power has to be one of the cleanest methods of producing electricity. I can't imagine why people were protesting it.

Permalink Reply by Ruth Anthony-Gardner on October 6, 2012 at 1:13pm

I guess people are worried about awakening a volcano. Perhaps fracking fluids will lubricate rock movement. On the other hand removing heat from the rock might compensate, making the rock more viscous.

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