We SO need a change in leadership.

Well said!

Icarus

 

Geothermal - two methods.

1) Wells about 3,000 meters deep. Must be "managed," (reinjected) to maintain pressure and output. Problems with "corrosion" where wells plug up from time to time. Primarily used to run turbines. Examples: New Zealand, Italy, Iceland, California. Vapor pressure is generally at 50° of superheat (above the boiling point of water, 100°C) so can be difficult to work with.

UNOCAL has successfully developed and manages geothermal wells in the Philippines and California. California examples include: Mammoth Lakes, Coachella Valley and The Geysers. Brigham Young University, UT and Mammoth Lakes, CA, geothermally heat their sidewalks to eliminate snow and ice problems and reduce plowing.

2) Single-family home, school or similar structure. Ground is used as thermal mass to store coolth (summer) and warmth (winter). A closed loop goes from the building into the ground (vertical, horizontal or both). Elaborate systems make use of eutetic salts (have a high specific heat and are able to store large amounts of Joules for later release).

Those who question the ability of earth to sustain heat:
Reference: NOVA | Magnetic Storm | PBS - explains radioactive decay is the heat source for earth's interior and is not likely to run out for several billion years. However, earths magnetic field is in the process of beginning to flip (north to south). The Magnetosphere is the key factor that shields us from the solar wind and makes earth liveable. Mars' core has cooled, it lost its magnetosphere and then lost its atmosphere.

 

Thanks for the links. Really irritating to see such blundering just as the technology is arriving at a critical juncture in the nasty oil situation. (So let's continue destroying huge chunks of West Virgina for the coal, while we make sure the mirrors don't stunt the tumbleweeds?) Let's hope there is new leadership. The bad part is that all the Environmental Impact requirements were being done, all the permits were being done, etc. All the rules were being followed to minimize impact. No doubt the BLM is overwhelmed, but this can be fixed.

Rather than fix or augment the BLM, let's cripple the industry?

 

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If it wasn't for that dumb law, I would probably have solar on my house by now. But I decided against it 5 years ago and we ended up spending our money on a foundation fix that was unforeseen. Now I'm hearing about all this quantum leap improvement coming in solar, and I'm afraid to make the purchase now if things are going to improve drastically in the next year or two (be damned if I can sell my excess back or not). I'm hoping that law will change as more and more people get unhappy about it.

I agree 100% with that.

 

If the core stops turning what will happen to the kinetic energy?

I think finding the toilet roll empty at an inconvenient time has a bigger negative impact on the planet than would 5,000 years of geothermal energy extraction.

 

Earth's molten core is 2000 miles down the surface a is a 2000 mile radius globe. The drills we make may go a couple of miles deep. Even if all the world's energy comes from geothermal it will hardly make a dent in the core. Besides it's not like all that heat is safely blanketed. It's being lost all over earth's surface anyway.

 

sendconroymail

" Re: We SO need a change in leadership.
The earth is cooling down and radioactive decay will NOT keep the earth warm for billions of years. Taping into the earth and extracting heat energy is a really bad idea. It will not sustain 6 billion people without cooling. If it cools we loose the magnetic field which protects our atmoshere. Worse than that North America (As well as other continents) would sink thousands of feet below sea level. It would make running out of oil feel like a day at the beach."

Where DO you get your information??? You come up with some pretty bizarre theories I can't even begin to take them seriously. Any Citation about the continents sinking thousands of feet below sea level? Wow!

Icarus

 

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Yeah, I think I saw that movie on the Sci-Fi Channel too.op2:

 

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I didn't go to college but am quite well educated!

The gist of good debating skills and arguing a point, is to back up your idea with verifiable facts. It is not the job of your opponent to find "your facts"!
If I claim for example that Iceland gets X% of it's energy from geo-thermal and cite my source(s), then you can rebut my source(s) with your own.

If you give me a citation from some "journal of irreproducable results", I will consider the source, just as I would the New England Journal of Medicine. My guess is you don't want to cite your "facts" because you can't.

Anything less is just FOX news. They make it up and the public is too stupid to realize it! The world, in your words, "trusted" George W. Bush about Iraq' wmd. I believe 6+ years later we still haven't found them! "Challenge authority!

Icarus

PS. Don't judge a person by the quantity of his/her education, but rather by the quality of his/her ideas. Just because I didn't go to college doesn't mean I am any less smart than any one else. Doesn't mean I any more smart either. Listen to what I say and then judge!

 

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There is a difference between a science class and an open debate. Science class is indeed where students learn to research and study. A debate or a presentation is where they cite examples of what they have researched to convince one of the validity of their argument.

In a legal argument, the opposing counsel argues (cites) case law to bolster their opinion. It is not for the Judge to dream up the argument. Oh,you have a JD, but I guess you would know that.

Icarus

 

As I said,, consider the source! Wacko science is whaco science, even if it is dressed up in nice clothes.

Icarus