Scientists Unveil Radical Plan to Drill Into a Volcano For Near-Unlimited Energy

https://www.sciencealert.com/scientists-unveil-radical-plan-to-drill-into-a-volcano-for-near-unlimited-energy

Scientists Unveil Radical Plan to Drill Into a Volcano For Near-Unlimited Energy::undefined

191 points · 46 comments · view on lemmy.world

46 Comments

Sanctus@lemmy.world · 38 pts · 2y (3 replies)

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@lemmy.world · 8 pts · 2y (2 replies)

Not cool, hot!

surewhynotlem@lemmy.world · 6 pts · 2y (1 reply)

But being hot is now cool

stevedidWHAT@lemmy.world · 28 pts · 2y (1 reply)

Eyeroll headline

otter@lemmy.ca · 17 pts · 2y

LWD@lemm.ee · 24 pts · 2y

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werefreeatlast@lemmy.world · 17 pts · 2y (4 replies)

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.

shortwavesurfer@lemmy.zip · 8 pts · 2y (3 replies)

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.

Appoxo@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 7 pts · 2y (1 reply)

Just looked it up. It's 2003.

shortwavesurfer@lemmy.zip · 3 pts · 2y

Ah, thanks

werefreeatlast@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 2y

LOL. It's cheesy. LOL.

jpreston2005@lemmy.world · 17 pts · 2y (2 replies)

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

Halcyon@discuss.tchncs.de · 12 pts · 2y (1 reply)

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.

wahming@monyet.cc · 3 pts · 2y

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

ArmoredThirteen@lemmy.ml · 16 pts · 2y (1 reply)

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

Cocodapuf@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 2y

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

originalucifer@moist.catsweat.com · 15 pts · 2y (6 replies)

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

avidamoeba@lemmy.ca · 12 pts · 2y (3 replies)

Spin a turbine, generate electricity, transmit via HVDC?

LordKitsuna@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 2y (2 replies)

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

avidamoeba@lemmy.ca · 3 pts · 2y (1 reply)

We did our best.

Mr_Smiley@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 2y

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

magikmw@lemm.ee · 6 pts · 2y

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

AA5B@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 2y

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

pineapplelover@lemm.ee · 14 pts · 2y (4 replies)

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

sunbeam60@lemmy.one · 24 pts · 2y

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.

thanks_shakey_snake@lemmy.ca · 22 pts · 2y

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

wahming@monyet.cc · 4 pts · 2y (1 reply)

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

pineapplelover@lemm.ee · 1 pts · 2y

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

5too@lemmy.world · 13 pts · 2y (2 replies)

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

Chetzemoka@startrek.website · 11 pts · 2y

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

Zink@programming.dev · 2 pts · 2y

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

Tristaniopsis@aussie.zone · 9 pts · 2y

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

OpenStars@startrek.website · 9 pts · 2y (5 replies)

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@lemmy.world · 13 pts · 2y (1 reply)

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

OpenStars@startrek.website · 5 pts · 2y

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

averagedrunk@lemmy.ml · 4 pts · 2y

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

NegativeInf@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 2y

Pluto?

LWD@lemm.ee · 1 pts · 2y

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TheFriar@lemm.ee · 8 pts · 2y

MUAHAHAHAHA!

xia@lemmy.sdf.org · 7 pts · 2y

I wonder if it will make the volcano more stable.

zaart@lemmy.tedomum.net · 6 pts · 2y (3 replies)

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

Croquette@sh.itjust.works · 4 pts · 2y

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

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

wahming@monyet.cc · 2 pts · 2y (1 reply)

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

zaart@lemmy.tedomum.net · 1 pts · 2y

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

sunbeam60@lemmy.one · 1 pts · 2y

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