Underwater Volcanoes Are Geothermal Energy’s Next Frontier
Iraq Wants to Double Oil Output—and Needs OPEC to Get Out of the Way Haley Zaremba is an energy journalist and researcher with more than a decade of professional experience covering global energy systems, land and natural resources, and… A Seattle startup is seeking to revolutionize geothermal energy by tapping into undersea volcanoes.
In September, a 100-kilowatt geothermal generator will be deployed to the seafloor off Oregon’s coast, where a hydrothermal vent emits temperatures of up to 750 degrees Fahrenheit.
The pilot project – the fifth of its kind – will continue to test the viability of turning that heat into commercially competitive, round-the-clock, and totally emissions-free electricity.
The team behind the project at Endurance Energy believes that this technology could someday sustainably power entire cities.
“Addressing the clean power problem is a way to make significant, scalable impact,” founder and CEO Andrew Redd was recentlyquotedby GeekWire.
“It’s a fundamental of human life — people need power.” Geothermal hasgarnered increased attentionin recent years for its potential to provide a baseload form of clean energy.
Unlike wind and solar power, geothermal is not variable or intermittent, and is therefore capable of producing power at any time of day, matching output with demand.
What is more, it’s one of vanishingly few forms of clean energy that continues to enjoy broad bipartisan support, making it especially attractive to investors who might otherwise be scared off of clean energy portfolios in the current policy climate.
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The problem is that geothermal energy has historically only been viable in rare geographies where the heat from the Earth’s core escapes to its surface, such as in geysers – or in underwater volcanoes, if we’re able to successfully install generators there.
This is not a new idea – other companies and researchers around the globe have been looking into the possibilityfor years now– but a new groundswell of interest and investing dollars could push the technology over the edge from scientific inquiry to commercial reality.
Other emerging geothermal technologies are turning their attention away from natural thermal vents and toward creating their own.
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