geothermal Archives – The Green Optimistic

US Can Run Entirely on Renewables by 2050, Scientists Say

Mila Luleva — Wed, 10 Jun 2015 20:17:44 +0000

If all states make full use of the best available renewable sources, the US can run entirely on renewable energy by 2050. A study conducted by a team of scientists from Stanford University, established that the U.S. can go 100% renewable if everything- homes, cars, factories, etc., runs on electricity. And before anyone comments that it is […]

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Groundwater Cooling System for Supercomputers Ecofriendly and Efficient

Leigh Hutchens — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 12:52:30 +0000

Australia’s largest supercomputer may get a renewable system for cooling in the near future thanks to a geothermal energy project in Perth. The Pawsey Centre supercomputer, an $80 million facility, needs an advanced solution for cooling. CSIRO Geothermal Project has determined that a groundwater cooling system will work best. The system works by pumping cool […]

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Researchers Create Fresh Water from Geothermal Energy

Leigh Hutchens — Thu, 20 Dec 2012 05:56:18 +0000

One of the key challenges in our brave new world is creating a sustainable water supply for the ever growing global population – a population that has surpassed 7 billion and keeps expanding. Experts recognize this issue must be met head on, paying particular attention to comprehensive water management and responsible water usage. Diminishing resources […]

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ARPA-E Funds Laser-Drilled Geothermal Energy Project

Leigh Hutchens — Sat, 15 Dec 2012 14:25:07 +0000

The US Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA-E) has provided funding to Foro Energy to develop inexpensive, high-powered lasers that may be able to tear through rock to drill for oil. This would eliminate the need to bore through the Earth using giant metal drills in the quest for resources. Using […]

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Gas Resulting from Geothermal Drilling Causes Respiratory Diseases in Iceland

Ovidiu Sandru — Thu, 10 May 2012 04:07:01 +0000

A three-year study performed in Iceland revealed that toxic gases associated with geothermal drilling can be dangerous to human health. The study found a link between underground-originating hydrogen sulfide (the rotten eggs-smelling substance) and asthma and various respiratory diseases. The hydrogen sulfide had been measured next to a busy intersection in Reykjavik, from March 2006 […]

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Sewage Geothermal Technology Used to Extract Free and “Filthy” Heat in Philadelphia

Ovidiu Sandru — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 17:11:05 +0000

Wastewater is and will always be warm, and its heat so far has usually been lost, without powering anything (but bacteria). To prevent this precious (filthy) energy go down the drain, NovaThermal Energy LLC, based in Philadelphia, wants to implement what they call a “sewage geothermal” technology, meant to recover most of it. “It’s just […]

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How Old Oil Wells Could Become Geothermal Energy Sources

Ovidiu Sandru — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 10:10:27 +0000

One of the main costs when harvesting geothermal energy is the digging itself. Just like oil wells, geothermal wells have to be several kilometers deep, because temperature rises along by 50 degrees Celsius with every kilometer. This is where abandoned oil wells could help generate clean electricity. A team of researchers from the Chinese Academy […]

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Injecting CO2 Instead of Water in Geothermal Wells Could Triple-Serve the Environment

Ovidiu Sandru — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 14:43:42 +0000

When we hear about carbon dioxide, it's like hearing of a serial killer. LBNL (Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory), and a CA-based company Symyx Technologies, instead, aided by several U.S. universities, have changed the image of this greenhouse gas a bit by putting it into a green job: geothermal energy harvesting.

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Geothermal power – hot energy right under our feet

Ovidiu Sandru — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 14:59:53 +0000

Converting geothermal heat into electricity by pouring water onto hot rocks underground and using the steam to turn turbines is arguably the most promising - and renewable - source of "green" energy on the planet. So concludes the MIT experts' report, released on Monday, which examines what geothermal energy could do for the US in the 21st century.

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