Canada may have enough geothermal potential to power the entire country - a million times over
91 replies, posted
[QUOTE=Mad Chatter;32485558]What about when the core of the Earth shuts down and starts to cool!?
What will you do then, Canada!?[/QUOTE]
Then we'll send a [del]space[/del]landship to the core to drop some nukes, but half the crew might mysteriously die somehow
i hate to say i told you so but.... Ive been posting about geothermal for awhile now and you guys (the guys who obsess about hating the venus project) said it was a myth.
Glad to see the technology gaining traction!
The US should start buying less oil and buy some of that energy from Canada.
First USA was a superpower.
Now China.
Soon, Canada!
I think one great super-city on earth would be awesome.
Also 1000's of levels deep, transportation via huge monorail systems, fully powered by geothermal energy.
There is a hospital around here that uses geothermal.
[url]http://www.shermanhealth.com/geothermal_lake.php[/url]
At atleast something here is thinking of the future.
Considering how hard it is to get anywhere "deep" into the earth, I doubt this will get big anytime soon.
These are wonderful news!
[QUOTE=Codename 47;32486669]Considering how hard it is to get anywhere "deep" into the earth, I doubt this will get big anytime soon.[/QUOTE]
Geothermal is already incredibly possible
Drilling down to stick a pipe in isn't hard, most of the construction is the plant that sits above ground to convert it into electricity
That's smalltime. Let's all move to the ocean floor and use Hydrothermal vents for power!
[QUOTE=Raidyr;32485672]You aren't "sucking heat out of the earth", you are using the earths natural processes and capturing the energy from the results of those processes.
The only real drawback to geothermal power is the amount of solid waste it produces and the fact that it can't be used everywhere due to the geography of certain places.[/QUOTE]
Sure Canada won't. But what if this becomes the new energy source?
I really don't know much about this subject, but surely energy is never infinite, and when you extract energy from the core i would assume it would cool. Sure plates move, but when the soft bit is gone, plates no longer move.
Sure, even it did cool the core, why does it matter if the core is solid in 100000 years (or whatever) from now?
Well, imo it would be stupid to turn on earths self destruction no matter how long it will take for it to happen.
Like we worry shitless about the water level rising, we might worry shitless about the heat sinking.
That sounds so perfect that we can be sure that [I]it will never be fucking used.[/I] Not while the oil-sands still exist at least.
I have too little faith that we would take advantage of this.
[QUOTE=sami-elite;32486811]Sure Canada won't. But what if this becomes the new energy source?
I really don't know much about this subject, but surely energy is never infinite, and when you extract energy from the core i would assume it would cool. Sure plates move, but when the soft bit is gone, plates no longer move.[/QUOTE]
The energy is so vast probably that if you were able to tap into all of its potential for one second, you could power Earth for well over 100 years.
[QUOTE=sami-elite;32486811]Sure Canada won't. But what if this becomes the new energy source?
I really don't know much about this subject, but surely energy is never infinite, and when you extract energy from the core i would assume it would cool. Sure plates move, but when the soft bit is gone, plates no longer move.
Sure, even it did cool the core, why does it matter if the core is solid in 100000 years (or whatever) from now?
Well, imo it would be stupid to turn on earths self destruction no matter how long it will take for it to happen.
Like we worry shitless about the water level rising, we might worry shitless about the heat sinking.[/QUOTE]
This is great. That means we have global-cooling to counter global-warming.
We can drive huge cars and emit shitloads of carbondioxide to heat the planet and still have infinite energy from earth itself, which cools the planet. Perfect balance.
I don't see any problem!
[QUOTE=Crimor;32485322]Just sucks it never will be since it would make some of the richest people in the world lose their income.[/QUOTE]
They can't hide behind their money forever. Just because they don't like it doesn't mean that the ENTIRETY OF HUMANKIND will sit idly by and let them keep on shitting on us.
There will be a time when powers shift and new elements are added to the mix.
[QUOTE=Eudoxia;32486795]That's smalltime. Let's all move to the ocean floor and use Hydrothermal vents for power![/QUOTE]
Still small time.
Why don't we just move to the sun and use sun-othermal power. It would be infinite power provided we all don't burn up and die.
So how much power do the oil corporations pull over in Canada? This sounds great, but I'm worried it'll be scrapped once powerful people hear about it and realize they might actually need to rebuild their monopoly.
[editline]26th September 2011[/editline]
[QUOTE=DiBBs27;32488364]Still small time.
Why don't we just move to the sun and use sun-othermal power. It would be infinite power provided we all don't burn up and die.[/QUOTE]
That's the idea of a Dyson Sphere, isn't it?
Aren't we meant to be at the final stage of civilization (i.e. practically omnipotent) before we can pull shit like that?
[QUOTE=Cone;32488434]That's the idea of a Dyson Sphere, isn't it?
Aren't we meant to be at the final stage of civilization (i.e. practically omnipotent) before we can pull shit like that?[/QUOTE]
Although the idea is an appeasing one, we can't get attached to it, sadly :D
While we're pretty much a step or two away from supposed omnipotence in terms of the level of our civilization, we're still pretty much at the START of this one last step.
I reckon it'll take another century at the LEAST for us to really get comfortable with anything...
Sucks, doesn't it? To be born into the world at the possible brink of Humanity ascending but not being able to live to see it or experience it yourself...
[QUOTE=Crimor;32485322]Just sucks it never will be since it would make some of the richest people in the world lose their income.[/QUOTE]
Kill the rich assholes who won't let go even though they have enough money to live ten consecutive lives without ever seeing the bottom
Acquire viable energy source for the rest of the world
Sounds like a fair deal to me.
I thought geothermal was only used as a source of heat for homes and buildings.
Didn't know you could make electricity with it.
[QUOTE=PvtCupcakes;32488748]I thought geothermal was only used as a source of heat for homes and buildings.
Didn't know you could make electricity with it.[/QUOTE]
heat water at high pressure
make steam at ground level
turn turbines generate electricity
[QUOTE=Zeke129;32485321]Geothermal energy could power the entire globe. Why is it so untapped?[/QUOTE]
because it is ridiculously expensive, and what if an earthquake occurs with the strength to tear the pipes apart, you have to go down a couple kilometers in the earth and fix it, not to mention routine checkups to see how structurely intact it is.
[QUOTE=Cone;32488434]Aren't we meant to be at the final stage of civilization (i.e. practically omnipotent) before we can pull shit like that?[/QUOTE]
We'll do it regardless just to prove those demigod Dyson Sphere civilizations how much we're worth.
[QUOTE=Ganerumo;32488681]Kill the rich assholes who won't let go even though they have enough money to live ten consecutive lives without ever seeing the bottom
Acquire viable energy source for the rest of the world
Sounds like a fair deal to me.[/QUOTE]
Are you proposing that FP turns into a secret assassin agency bent on killing all of the worlds richest people?
Interest.
I remain sceptical but intrigued about this,
Obviously it doesn't seem to have the obvious disadvantages of other "green/renewable/sustainable" energy sources (energy is incredibly diffuse (not dense), requires huge swaths of land for solar panels/wind turbines, energy cuts in and out and is not practically storable ie; wind stops blowing/blows at an non constant rate/ sun is no longer shining/nighttime), However the fact that the article specifically mentions the very very high starting costs, and attempts to gain government support make me wary of wheather or not this is just another attempt to jump on the bandwagon of a popular political issue (being environmentally friendly) and sqeeze some money out of the government.
[QUOTE=Novistador;32489519]I remain sceptical but intrigued about this,
Obviously it doesn't seem to have the obvious disadvantages of other "green/renewable/sustainable" energy sources (energy is incredibly diffuse (not dense), requires huge swaths of land for solar panels/wind turbines, energy cuts in and out and is not practically storable ie; wind stops blowing/blows at an non constant rate/ sun is no longer shining/nighttime), However the fact that the article specifically mentions the very very high starting costs, and attempts to gain government support make me wary of wheather or not this is just another attempt to jump on the bandwagon of a popular political issue (being environmentally friendly) and sqeeze some money out of the government.[/QUOTE]
What?
I don't think anyone is trying to jump on a bandwagon. Geothermal energy is already used throughout the world and is a proven stable source of energy.
The question is not of political issue, it's about alternate energy sources that are within canada's reach provided the funds.
"Going green" really doesn't apply to the equation when you have a possibility to harness a million times the energy than what we have so far. It isn't like anyone is giving anything up.
We're already deep in debt, selling this geothermal energy to other countries seems like a logical way out.
The only draw back i see if it was government funded is that we, as canadians would be paying for it. Which means a hefty tax hike. Isn't that what we've been trying to avoid since... ever?
Also, was that post really all one sentence?
you know, a while ago i heard that the chernobyl disaster would have been a whole lot worse if 2 guys didn't dive into radioactive water tanks and release the water from under the reactors, because apparently if the fuel rods ended up touching all the water they'd cause a geothermal explosion the size of like 12 atom bombs
its pretty weird seeing that this is now being harnessed and used to power a country
canada is cool
[editline]26th September 2011[/editline]
still dont like curling
thank god im canadian
thank god for kraft dinner as well
[QUOTE=Zeke129;32485283]Fuck the oil sands. Fuck them right now. Let's do this.[/QUOTE]
But....my job :(
[QUOTE=Novistador;32489519]I remain sceptical but intrigued about this,
Obviously it doesn't seem to have the obvious disadvantages of other "green/renewable/sustainable" energy sources (energy is incredibly diffuse (not dense), requires huge swaths of land for solar panels/wind turbines, energy cuts in and out and is not practically storable ie; wind stops blowing/blows at an non constant rate/ sun is no longer shining/nighttime), However the fact that the article specifically mentions the very very high starting costs, and attempts to gain government support make me wary of wheather or not this is just another attempt to jump on the bandwagon of a popular political issue (being environmentally friendly) and sqeeze some money out of the government.[/QUOTE]
What? Geothermal isn't like the other renewable sources.
it's basically like nuclear power, except the nuclear apparatus is thousands of meters underground
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