Geothermal Tech

Our constant thirst for more energy is drying up the earth's oil wells and coal deposits. There is however a new push for green alternatives has led to many ventures culminating with the construction of solar and wind turbine fields (For more information on 'Green Technology' and 'Lifestyle,' check out Experience's Green blogs in the right hand column). At present, they provide about 2% of the country's energy supply and although one can argue that it is a start--it is not efficient by any standards.

Another technology being touted is geothermal and although it has existed in the past, there was never a big push for it mainly because of a lack of locations around the planet where it was feasible. For geothermal energy to be effective and more importantly efficient, water needs to be pumped down into rocks that will heat it up to 300 degrees Fahrenheit. That was the old way of using geothermal energy. A new method, utilizing nano technology has been proposed and is currently in the testing phase that could prove to be very promising. (For more information on Nano Technology, refer to this post)

Illustration of different types of nano particles and structures. Source: Wikimedia Commons.

Besides water, other substances were tested to see if they would be able to retain heat and be successfully pumped into and out of the rocks and one of the more promising substances was gasoline. However, the main problem with gasoline is that it turns into a vapor relatively easily at normal temperatures. To alleviate this issue, researchers at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory as considering using nano technology for the heat transfer. Some nano particles are capable of holding over 30% of their weight in another compound at higher temperatures and pressures. Couple those particles with gas and you can heat it to the general temperature of 150 degrees Fahrenheit which is much more abundant in geothermal areas and you have a process that is in theory, not only efficient but also capable of providing at current estimates, 10% of our consumption in as little as three years.

The technology in principle is quite simple but as easy as it sounds, it somehow never ends up that way. Regardless it will be interesting to see how this technology develops and it is just another leg up for nano material to save the day...or produce more power for that matter.