Geothermal- Why would this be a bad idea?

[0bserver]

15 minutes ago, Markduc said:

I think he was being polite, raving lunatics would be a better description 

only thought on geothermal is what happens when the earths core starts cooling 

because we are sucking heat from it 

A Google search of it doesn't seem to be too alarming. It sounds like the earth's core would be fine. 

[Two-lane]

1 hour ago, 0bserver said:

Interesting thoughts. We know many members of the Green lobby are scientifically illiterate. 

https://www.manxradio.com/news/isle-of-man-news/geothermal-power-station-could-generate-power-for-hundreds-of-years/

It would be good to have an expert report commissioned on this idea. 

The interviewee states that El Salvador has geothermal plants. It seemed strange to me that it was necessary to go so far to find somewhere worth quoting.

So, a quote from somewhere on the web: "Geothermal in El Salvador -  It is known as the ‘land of volcanos’ having 23 active volcanoes. ".

Maybe I am illiterate in every sense, but comparing the geology of the IoM with El Salvador is stretching credulity a bit.

[The Bastard]

7 minutes ago, Two-lane said:

The interviewee states that El Salvador has geothermal plants. It seemed strange to me that it was necessary to go so far to find somewhere worth quoting.

So, a quote from somewhere on the web: "Geothermal in El Salvador -  It is known as the ‘land of volcanos’ having 23 active volcanoes. ".

Maybe I am illiterate in every sense, but comparing the geology of the IoM with El Salvador is stretching credulity a bit.

We had this same conversation on the last page, do try and keep up. You don't need to go to El Salvador, there are trials going on in Cornwall, and there's a geothermal setup in Southampton that's been running since 1986.

[The Bastard]

38 minutes ago, Markduc said:

I think he was being polite, raving lunatics would be a better description 

only thought on geothermal is what happens when the earths core starts cooling 

because we are sucking heat from it 

Early geologists were puzzled why the earth's core was so hot, so long after the formation of the earth. The core has some residual heat from formation, but the high temperatures at the core are driven by radioactive decay, so not likely to cool down any time soon. 

[TheTeapot]

3 minutes ago, The Bastard said:

We had this same conversation on the last page, do try and keep up. You don't need to go to El Salvador, there are trials going on in Cornwall, and there's a geothermal setup in Southampton that's been running since 1986.

While you are correct and helped me learn something with your southampton example, there should be no doubt that the majority of geothermal plants, especially ones of a decent size for generating electricity, are located in areas where that heat is easily accessible. There must be a reason for that.

[The Bastard]

1 minute ago, TheTeapot said:

While you are correct and helped me learn something with your southampton example, there should be no doubt that the majority of geothermal plants, especially ones of a decent size for generating electricity, are located in areas where that heat is easily accessible. There must be a reason for that.

There is a reason for that. Volcanoes = shallow hot magma, which makes geothermal easier, cheaper. There are still very high temperatures in the crust under the UK and IOM, as you'd expect since the crust everywhere is a thin layer over the superheated mantle, so it's still feasible to use that heat for geothermal heating, although you need to drill deeper dependent on geology. The Cornwall experiment is depending on the heat within Granite from past volcanic activity, which arrived at the surface in bulges of superheated molten rock that pushed through the layers above it. Those rocks are still comparatively hot and will continue to be for a long time. 

[finlo]

15 minutes ago, TheTeapot said:

While you are correct and helped me learn something with your southampton example, there should be no doubt that the majority of geothermal plants, especially ones of a decent size for generating electricity, are located in areas where that heat is easily accessible. There must be a reason for that.

Yeah like needing a multi mile deep borehole.

[The Bastard]

Just now, finlo said:

Yeah like needing a multi mile deep borehole.

Yep, there are no convenient volcanoes on the IOM since the one off Scarlett stopped erupting. Borehole costs have been holding the technology back, but there have been a lot of recent advances, including laser-assisted drilling, that are making it more viable. 

[Two-lane]

30 minutes ago, The Bastard said:

We had this same conversation on the last page, do try and keep up.

Perhaps you have misunderstood the point I was making. The interviewee used El Salvador as an example. If he had used Cornwall as an example, there would have been no necessity for my comment. He presents himself as an expert. I assume he had good reason to mention El Salvador and not Cornwall in his statement.

[The Bastard]

14 hours ago, Two-lane said:

Perhaps you have misunderstood the point I was making. The interviewee used El Salvador as an example. If he had used Cornwall as an example, there would have been no necessity for my comment. He presents himself as an expert. I assume he had good reason to mention El Salvador and not Cornwall in his statement.

Have you thought about contacting him and asking him about it? Would seem a lot easier than speculating on his reasons. 

Edited April 28, 2022 by The Bastard

[Cambon]

They are on the Mannin line tomorrow. Perhaps we should all tune in. I actually know both of them, and they do know their stuff! 

[Cambon]

Very interesting Mannin line. It will be interesting to see if anything comes of it. 

[The Bastard]

7 hours ago, Cambon said:

Very interesting Mannin line. It will be interesting to see if anything comes of it. 

Wasn't bad at all. Had to laugh when Andy Wint talked about playing "devil's advocate" since he seemed to be throwing brickbats at it all the way through, and it was quite funny when Wint asked how deep the specialist had dealt with before, and he answered "15,000 feet". You  could hear the gears grinding in Wint's head as he tried to convert it into kilometers and gave up. Dave Quirk seemed like he'd be a great choice of commentator but didn't seem to have a clue about deep borehole geothermal, was banging on about volcanic geothermal, and it was a peculiar choice to have the MD of a hydroelectric company, a competing/complementary technology commenting on geothermal through the lens of hydroelectric. I thought the two guys were really good - even though they were at a very early stage and essentially asking for a feasibility study, they were still being asked for diameters of boreholes and the like, but came across as really passionate about its potential. They answered the good questions and fielded the stupid questions well. 

[Happier diner]

On 4/27/2022 at 8:41 PM, TheTeapot said:

While you are correct and helped me learn something with your southampton example, there should be no doubt that the majority of geothermal plants, especially ones of a decent size for generating electricity, are located in areas where that heat is easily accessible. There must be a reason for that.

Absolutely. Cost. 

[Happier diner]

8 hours ago, The Bastard said:

Wasn't bad at all. Had to laugh when Andy Wint talked about playing "devil's advocate" since he seemed to be throwing brickbats at it all the way through, and it was quite funny when Wint asked how deep the specialist had dealt with before, and he answered "15,000 feet". You  could hear the gears grinding in Wint's head as he tried to convert it into kilometers and gave up. Dave Quirk seemed like he'd be a great choice of commentator but didn't seem to have a clue about deep borehole geothermal, was banging on about volcanic geothermal, and it was a peculiar choice to have the MD of a hydroelectric company, a competing/complementary technology commenting on geothermal through the lens of hydroelectric. I thought the two guys were really good - even though they were at a very early stage and essentially asking for a feasibility study, they were still being asked for diameters of boreholes and the like, but came across as really passionate about its potential. They answered the good questions and fielded the stupid questions well. 

Did anyone ask if these fellas were convinced enough to invest themselves?