Originally published December 7 2005
Hot rocks in South Australia may prove a viable source of green energy
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
Geodynamics, an Australian company, has finished drilling two 4.5-km wells, which it hopes will pull geothermal energy from subsurface rocks and make Australia a world leader in green energy.
Generating electricity using the heat of ancient rocks buried deep below the red sands of the Australian outback?
Spurred by high commodity prices and a drive to reduce Australia's reliance on coal, several companies are looking to harness hot rock temperatures of up to 300 degrees Celsius (570 Fahrenheit) to unleash green energy.
A combination of nature's bounty, government support and entrepreneurial spirit may well help Australia win the race to generate electricity for commercial purposes from the rocks, which some say could produce more than the country's known oil or coal reserves.
Based on encouraging test results, pioneer explorer Geodynamics could make an investment decision on its first power station in early 2006, the climax of five years of drilling in the South Australian desert.
Australia could be the world leader within the next couple of years given the geological anomalies present in South Australia," says Peter Reid, chief executive of another explorer, Petratherm.
"The Europeans had a head start in establishing pilot schemes but they remain academically focused and have been slow to commercialise a resource that can economically compete with fossil fuels as a means of electricity generation."
It has the potential to supply larger volumes of power at cheaper prices than wind and solar alternatives in areas where the required geology exists, and at any time of day or night.
The key to HDR lies in special hot granite rocks located no more than five km below the earth, whose heat from its core has been trapped beneath layers of insulating rock.
Despite staying outside the Kyoto Treaty on global warming, the Australian government maintains ambitious clean air goals, while South Australia has been quick to grant exploration licences to companies joining the emerging sector.
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