Iceland To Drill Hole Into Volcano 275
G3ckoG33k writes "BBC reports that Iceland will drill a hole into a volcano so it can tap heat from it, which eventually is hoped to produce commercially available energy. From the article: "Twenty years ago, geologist Gudmundur Omar Friedleifsson had a surprise when he lowered a thermometer down a borehole. 'We melted the thermometer,' he recalls. 'It was set for 380C; but it just melted.'". Excuse me, Gudmundur, but how could that ever have been a 'surprise'..."
Geothermal power is really important (Score:5, Interesting)
Now if they can build a geothermal plant that actually improves the landscape, I think they are on to something. Free energy ceases to be free when you ruin the surrounding area with ugly power plants.
Fire Coming Out Of The Monkey's Head (Score:2, Interesting)
Rock is a good insulator (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Geothermal power is really important (Score:3, Interesting)
Just look at Russia, it has the largest hydro deployment in the world now and the results are not pretty. River deltas are drying, there are massive changes to the environment, climate which was as healthy as a climate can get 100 years ago has become practically lethal in many places. A big hydroelectric tends to keep the river right after it open all winter. As a result the humidity goes into the 100% condensing range which when the outside temperature is around -40 is outright deadly. It is not pretty when the outside temperature is above 25 either.
There are very few places in the world where a hydroelectric is environmentally safe and economically sound.
Yellowstone park (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Yellowstone park (Score:3, Interesting)
kill two birds with one stone? (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Warn Iceland! (Score:3, Interesting)
Having visited Iceland, I'd be willing to bet that the Icelanders have already talked it over with the volcano gods and cut them in for a share of the profits. This is, after all, a country that builds roads around boulders because the elves live in them.
Re:Geothermal power is really important (Score:4, Interesting)
i've seen all of these here in brasil, where 90% of the electricity comes from hydroelectrics.
hydropower also has it's environmental price tag, don't let the marketing departament of a utility fool you.