Green energy is coming back in the front line. Since when? Well since Google and the U.S. Department of Energy decided to fund a $43 million project that will bring 24 million gallons of water into the entrails of a dormant volcano in Oregon, with the intent of generating a powerful stream that one day may be used to power turbines. They in turn, will produce clean electricity.
The team involved in the project will be using the so called hydroshearing technique, that’s similar to hydraulic fracturing of fracking. So basically, it means that the scientists working will be trying to free natural gas formation from shale formations. And the dormant volcano from Central Oregon seems the best source of geothermal energy there is. But an evaluation will need to take place, to determine is the project is viable or not.
The engineers involved will be pumping 24 million gallons of water into the volcano in order to produce steam and if the product of this endeavor will be able to produce cost friendly energy the project shall be considered a success.
Everybody seems to be on board with this project, even the U.S. Bureau of Land Management released last month an assessment of the project, thus enabling it to proceed to the testing phase. Thus, no environmental consequences are to be expected. Why would Google be interested in such a project? Well, with all the fuss around clean-eco friendly data centers going around, there’s no wonder.
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Geothermal plant construction may impact negatively land stability. As part of hydraulic fracturing, geothermal systems can trigger earthquakes. Adverse effects have been recorded in New Zealand, for example.