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Allen & York - Geothermal energy: All the benefits of nuclear - but none of the problems?

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24 February 2011

Geothermal energy: All the benefits of nuclear - but none of the problems?
By Vicky @ 24th Feb 2011 11:36:00
Environment Feeds

Geothermal energy: All the benefits of nuclear - but none of the problems?
By Vicky Kenrick
Allen & York

Both Geothermal energy and nuclear energy can harness the Earths heat to deliver stable, low-carbon power, but it is only geothermal energy that will receive government support in the UK with the coalition government pledging that nuclear power will receive no taxpayer subsidies.
Not too far below our feet is the power to boil unlimited water and generate clean, renewable energy - by mass, 99.9% of the Earth is hotter than 100C and the UK is beginning to utilize this opportunity.
Both Geothermal and Nuclear energy ultimately tap the heat generated by the decay of radioactive elements. Whilst Geothermal plants send water down holes to bring the heat from natural radioactive decay deep in the mantle to the surface. Nuclear power mines the radionucleides and concentrates them.
The UKs first Geothermal Plant Unveiled
Plans to build the UK's first geothermal power plant have recently been unveiled; planning approval for attempts at the first commercial geothermal power plant in Cornwall could see renewable heat and electricity being generated as early as 2013.
Plans for the £15million power plant were unveiled today by the Eden Project near St Austell, Cornwall, and geothermal experts EGS Energy.
They hope it will produce up to 3 megawatts (MW) of electricity - enough to power nearly 5,000 homes. A typical wind turbine can produce up to 2MW, but only when the wind is blowing.
Cornwall is seen as having the most potential for developing geothermal power plants in the UK, this is because the granite there lends itself to the process. Those behind the Eden Project scheme believe that Cornwall could provide 10% of the UK's electricity for the next 100 years from geothermal plants. There are other granite basements in the north of England and north-east Scotland that could also be utilised.
Suitable rock can also be reached in parts of France, Germany, Spain, Italy and Serbia, and it is suggested that the Rift Valley in Kenya has the potential to generate at least 4,000MW of electricity.

Further research into Geothermal Energy
An exploration team in Newcastle plan to drill through old mining tunnels to search for geothermal energy under the city centre.
Researchers from Newcastle University who are leading the project hope it could initially provide up to 5MW of thermal energy, with potentially more heat and electricity from future boreholes. This in particular would provide heat for a new campus that will combine research facilities with affordable housing, while some energy may also be used to power a nearby shopping centre.
The Institutes director, Paul Younger, said:
The vast majority of the worlds population for many decades to come will be in existing cities, not in small eco-developments, so the real challenge is increasing the sustainability of old industrial cities.
If successful, the borehole will access water heated by naturally occurring low-level background radiation found in the granite surrounding Newcastle.
A Clean and Sustainable Energy Source
Champions of geothermal power claim it is a clean and efficient energy source. The water used is returned and replenished by rainfall and there is a vast amount of heat in the earth waiting to be tapped. In addition, geothermal power plants do not burn fuel to generate electricity, so their emission levels are low or nonexistent.

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