this post was submitted on 13 Jan 2024
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Scientists Unveil Radical Plan to Drill Into a Volcano For Near-Unlimited Energy::undefined

top 46 comments
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[–] Sanctus 38 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Garbage headline. Being able to study magma's behavior in this way is extremely cool though. It is also not exactly the side of a volcano.

[–] Hotdogman 8 points 10 months ago (1 children)
[–] surewhynotlem 6 points 10 months ago (1 children)
[–] stevedidWHAT 28 points 10 months ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 24 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)
[–] jpreston2005 17 points 10 months ago (1 children)

I kind of thought that this is what Geothermal energy was... Or will this be Geothermal energy on steroids?

[–] [email protected] 12 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (1 children)

With standard near-surface geothermal energy, boreholes up to 200 meters are drilled. The heat difference from that depth is only around 10-15°C, but that's enough to collect the energy to heat buildings.

So yes, drilling into lava areas will spice up things.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 10 months ago

Iceland has geothermal power plants going down 2.5km and with temperatures of ~250°C that produce electricity, not heat.

[–] werefreeatlast 17 points 10 months ago (1 children)

I saw this move! They end up drilling to the core so they can place nuclear explosions to restart the core. Then they had to drill back going up. It was a good movie. Also. Everyone has always thought about doing this.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 10 months ago (2 children)

Actually, I really did enjoy that movie as well. I believe it's called The Core and came out in 2008 If I remember correctly.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Just looked it up. It's 2003.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 10 months ago
[–] werefreeatlast 2 points 10 months ago

LOL. It's cheesy. LOL.

[–] [email protected] 16 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Yo I'm doing the same thing in my Oxygen Not Included playthrough right now

[–] Cocodapuf 3 points 10 months ago

Great game and amazing simulation! I fee likel I learned a lot about the difficulty of balancing thermal loads in a closed system.

[–] [email protected] 15 points 10 months ago (3 children)

i always thought the problem with this geothermal-delivered-to-surface was transmitting the power over long distances..

course, this article is really just about drilling into a magma chamber and the volcano not going boom

[–] [email protected] 12 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (1 children)

Spin a turbine, generate electricity, transmit via HVDC?

[–] LordKitsuna 5 points 10 months ago (1 children)

too effective, HVAC with large losses is the best I can offer

[–] [email protected] 3 points 10 months ago (1 children)
[–] Mr_Smiley 1 points 10 months ago

I'd like to see some definitions or units put next to 'ultra high'.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 10 months ago

Don't worry, water boils, steam spins turbine.

[–] AA5B 2 points 10 months ago

The article says they have one example of drilling into a magma chamber and it not going boom. I hope their optimism is justified, but this looks like the plot at the beginning of an apocalyptic movie

[–] [email protected] 14 points 10 months ago (3 children)

These guys will do anything except using hydro, wind, solar, and nuclear energy

[–] [email protected] 24 points 10 months ago

There’s nothing wrong with thermal energy plants. They are real and with companies like Eavor making real commercial plants using closed-loops there’s a lot of stuff happening in the space right now.

[–] [email protected] 22 points 10 months ago

Yeah what's with the weird fixation on magma over there at the uh... *checks notes* Krafla Magma Testbed Organization?

[–] [email protected] 4 points 10 months ago (1 children)

You realise geothermal is included in the category of clean, green energy? And Iceland has been pioneering the field for ages?

[–] [email protected] 1 points 10 months ago

Yeah, I know geothermal is a renewable energy form but I can't imagine drilling into magma would be a good option

[–] 5too 13 points 10 months ago (2 children)

One thing that surprised me in the article - I had no idea magma could be acidic!

[–] [email protected] 11 points 10 months ago

This is not something I had ever thought about before and I am also fascinated.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 10 months ago

Fun fact, when you touch acidic magma/lava, it does burn your skin!

[–] [email protected] 9 points 10 months ago (4 children)

There is no possibility of this ever backfiring in the slightest way, like oh say awakening something sleeping deep in the earth's crust. :-P

[–] jpreston2005 13 points 10 months ago (1 children)

we drilled too greedily, and too deep. You know what we awoke in the darkness of Khazad-dum. Shadow and Flame.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 10 months ago

To be fair, probably all they will find is melted rock and like... gas. But it's fun to dream isn't it?!:-D

[–] [email protected] 4 points 10 months ago

I'm less concerned about that and more concerned about supervillains building lairs.

[–] NegativeInf 1 points 10 months ago
[–] [email protected] 1 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)
[–] [email protected] 9 points 10 months ago

Isn’t this when the lava demon things jump out and cause some ruckus?

[–] [email protected] 8 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)

MUAHAHAHAHA!

[–] [email protected] 7 points 10 months ago

I wonder if it will make the volcano more stable.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 10 months ago (2 children)

Near-unlimited as in "renewable", right x) ?

[–] [email protected] 4 points 10 months ago

You can throw your trash in the lava to create more.

You get a bonus smokey flavor, and that is how stars are made.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Renewable in the sense of solar, by the time it runs out we'll have bigger things to worry about

[–] [email protected] 1 points 10 months ago

That's my point, unlimited in time, not as in "we can get as much as we want from it. Title is kinda click-bait

[–] [email protected] 1 points 10 months ago

I think I’ll take “a real commercial plant” from Eavor rather than this, thank you.