General discussion
-
Topic
-
EGS – Enhanced Geothermal Systems
LockedOkay, I want to solve the North American energy crisis, and here’s how I’m going to do it;
Altarock energy in Sausalito, CA ( http://www.altarockenergy.com) offers EGS systems, which basically means that they extract heat from in the ground to boil water to drive steam turbines. The “E” in EGS means that they *create* the condiditions necessary for the extraction to work. The problem I see is that digging an EGS hole is a lot like digging for oil – time comsuming, expensive, and with a pretty big footprint. So —
Enter the Argonne Laboratory in Chicago. They have developed (or are developing) a Laser Drilling method that would allow for precision drilling wherever it needed to be done. http://www.ne.anl.gov/facilities/lal/index.html The plus (as far as I’m concerned) is that the laser is nuclear-powered, meaning no emissions, no downtown smog if we wanted to build a plant ten miles out of town. The laser drill will also allow for precise breaking of the hard rock to allow for minimal seismic activity and maximum heat return.
So that’s my idea. Laser drilling for EGS systems to put power plants wherever they’re needed. Since this is TechRepublic, I know some of you know whether this plan is technically feasible. I also know that perhaps some of you know some people in the energy industry who can help me get this started. I’m offering the entire continental US to whoever wants it: I want to get this working in Canada.
So how about it TR? Anyone know someone who can save the world?