Potter Drilling has, with the help of internet giant Google, developed a new way of drilling. It works as a jet engine and it breaks the rocks with hot water. The technological breakthrough can be significant for further developments in geothermal energy extraction. The company who developed the drill got a 4 million dollar cheque from Google.org to develop this new technology.
Geothermal power contributes a small amount of energy to grids around the world, compared to other renewable energy sources like wind or solar. Why is geothermal so poorly represented within the renewable energy sources and how does it produce electricity for us? Geothermal power is harnessing the heat which is naturally generated by the earth and produce electricity with that. In order to do so we must drill into high temperature basement rock which is naturally fractured. This creates reservoirs deep under ground. By pumping cold water into these drilled wells or underground reservoirs the heat turns the cold water into steam, which rises through another well to the surface.
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