Comments on: Earthquakes: The Other Side of Drilling for Geothermal Power http://www.greenoptimistic.com/2009/07/02/geothermal-drilling-earthquakes/ pure green energy optimism Mon, 15 Mar 2010 04:57:35 +0200 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Bob Wallace http://www.greenoptimistic.com/2009/07/02/geothermal-drilling-earthquakes/comment-page-1/#comment-18040 Bob Wallace Sun, 23 Aug 2009 15:45:31 +0000 http://www.greenoptimistic.com/?p=3897#comment-18040 "You can’t just dig anywhere to find real, efficient, abundant geothermal energy..." No, you just have to dig deeper in some areas than in others. That means that it will be less expensive to install dry rock geothermal in some places than in others. Right now we have the ability to dig deep with smaller diameter holes as we search for oil. There's work to be done on building larger diameter drilling rigs for geothermal. But that's almost certainly a short term engineering problem. "90 miles from San Francisco, in Anderson Springs. The drilling in Basel caused a magnitude 3.4 geothermal earthquake." Ninety miles from SF is a huge distance. The 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake was measured at 6.9. There was no damage 90 miles away. The strongest quakes triggered by geothermal and oil drilling have been <4.0. We experience about 49,000 quakes of this intensity per year. "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." Hot rock geothermal does not "take fluid out of the sponge", it puts fluid in. And that may be what causes the small tremors. Liquids are lubricants and if there are rocks under pressure in the area, but not moving due to friction, then introducing a lubricant could allow slippage. "nature will say “Stop!”, and then we’ll stop. Will it be geothermal earthquakes, or floods, or global warming, I don’t know. All I know is that, from time to time, we have to keep our money into our pockets and stop spending so much energy." No, we need to spend a lot of money on energy. Right now. We need to spend lots of money in order to shut down plants that burn coal to produce electricity. But at the same time we also need to spend money to reduce our per capita energy use. Energy conservation can help us use a lot less energy while not lowering our standard of living. “You can’t just dig anywhere to find real, efficient, abundant geothermal energy…”

No, you just have to dig deeper in some areas than in others. That means that it will be less expensive to install dry rock geothermal in some places than in others.

Right now we have the ability to dig deep with smaller diameter holes as we search for oil. There’s work to be done on building larger diameter drilling rigs for geothermal. But that’s almost certainly a short term engineering problem.

“90 miles from San Francisco, in Anderson Springs. The drilling in Basel caused a magnitude 3.4 geothermal earthquake.”

Ninety miles from SF is a huge distance. The 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake was measured at 6.9. There was no damage 90 miles away.

The strongest quakes triggered by geothermal and oil drilling have been <4.0. We experience about 49,000 quakes of this intensity per year.

"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."

Hot rock geothermal does not "take fluid out of the sponge", it puts fluid in. And that may be what causes the small tremors. Liquids are lubricants and if there are rocks under pressure in the area, but not moving due to friction, then introducing a lubricant could allow slippage.

"nature will say “Stop!”, and then we’ll stop. Will it be geothermal earthquakes, or floods, or global warming, I don’t know. All I know is that, from time to time, we have to keep our money into our pockets and stop spending so much energy."

No, we need to spend a lot of money on energy. Right now.

We need to spend lots of money in order to shut down plants that burn coal to produce electricity.

But at the same time we also need to spend money to reduce our per capita energy use. Energy conservation can help us use a lot less energy while not lowering our standard of living.

]]> By: J.Waldhorn http://www.greenoptimistic.com/2009/07/02/geothermal-drilling-earthquakes/comment-page-1/#comment-13781 J.Waldhorn Sat, 04 Jul 2009 08:53:39 +0000 http://www.greenoptimistic.com/?p=3897#comment-13781 Dear Sir's Many thanks for the above article.. Pls kindly note that beside "SOLAR " Energy their is most clean availabel all over the world , cheep ,free of any geopolitical influence, zero particls , zero NOX, no metal , lowest co2, The above technologies are fully proven. NEW "W.J ANAEROBIC ENGINE" USING THE NEW "W.J.ANAEROBIC FUEL" For more information pls kindly contact Mr J.Waldhorn Dear Sir’s

Many thanks for the above article..

Pls kindly note that beside “SOLAR ” Energy their is most clean availabel all over the world , cheep ,free of any geopolitical influence, zero particls , zero NOX, no metal , lowest co2,

The above technologies are fully proven.

NEW “W.J ANAEROBIC ENGINE” USING THE NEW “W.J.ANAEROBIC FUEL”
For more information
pls kindly contact
Mr J.Waldhorn

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