Can volcanoes be used as an energy source?

When most people think of volcanoes, they will associate it with earthquakes, explosions, and mass destruction. Not many people will think of using it as a natural resource. Most of the energy used to power our lives today are from non-renewable sources such as coal, gas, and oil. Besides having detrimental effects to the environment, experts have predicted that if we use these fossil fuels at our current rate of consumption, we will deplete them in the next few decades. In contrast with fossil fuels, renewable energy sources such as wind, water, solar, and even geothermal energy are much more sustainable and have already been applied in various places. This paper will examine how to harness the geothermal energy volcanoes provide, along with the challenges and risks that come with it.

Geothermal energy is the heat that comes from the Earth’s core. It is derived from the radioactive decay of materials as well as the heat generated during the creation of the Earth. In the centre of the Earth, this heat is stored within rocks and fluids. Because it is constantly being produced inside the Earth, geothermal energy counts as a renewable resource. Not only that, it is one of the cleanest renewable resource available. Volcanoes are the main source of geothermal energy, so if we could harness the hot magma below active volcanic regions, it teases the possibility of harnessing a great amount of geothermal energy. It would also be much more efficient.

One of the first instances of uncovering the possibility of using volcanic energy was during the Icelandic Deep Drilling Project (IDDP) in 2009. The scientists working for the IDDP were drilling into a borehole when the drill suddenly stopped. The temperature rose from 400 degrees Celsius to over 1000. Over 36 megawatts of constant power were generated but it unfortunately wasn’t captured. This occurred because the magma was close to the surface and at the right temperature. If we could actually harness energy like that sometime in the future it would make for an extremely effective power source, producing much more power than the average geothermal well.

There are of course many challenges to harnessing the power of a volcano. The most obvious challenge would be expenses. Not having enough knowledge could lead to unproductive strategies and projects that eat up funds. There is also a relatively high risk of seismic activity happening when drilling into an active volcanic surface. Another significant challenge is the fact that not everybody has access to the technology needed to pull off something like this. Even if they did, they would still have to find the right terrain to drill in. The only volcanic terrain that can be mined at scale right now are the ones that have hydrothermal convection zones. These zones are naturally occurring areas where water heated by geothermal energy rises to the surface, such as in hot springs, and the steam could then be used to power electric generators.

However, as technology continues to evolve, it might be possible to expand the harvesting of geothermal energy to terrains that do not have natural convection zones. A 2006 report from the Idaho National Laboratory mentioned that with improvements in drilling, power conversion, and reservoir technology, it will be possible to drill into dry rock and inject liquid to extract heat from non-convection terrain. Called Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS), this approach could be an effective way of harvesting a huge amount of renewable energy. This approach has been piloted in the USA and in Australia in 2013. In Indonesia, a 2016 study reports that the South Sumatra Basin also has high potential for EGS.

In conclusion, geothermal energy has the potential to become a significant source of renewable energy. Currently, one of the biggest challenges in producing large amounts of geothermal energy is that its harvesting is dependent on naturally-occurring convection zones. With improvements in technology, this challenge might be overcome in the near future where Enhanced Geothermal Systems can harvest energy from non-convection terrain. In terms of harvesting volcanic energy, the future is looking hopeful.

Bibliography

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Idaho National Laboratory, Idaho Falls, ID, 2006, The Future of Geothermal Energy: Impact of Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS) on the United States in the 21st Century, https://energy.mit.edu/wp-content/uploads/2006/11/MITEI-The-Future-of-Geothermal-Energy.pdf

CNN. “Turning Volcanoes into an Energy Source.” YouTube, YouTube, 8 Nov. 2013, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OTtmnUODoSE.

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