Alaskan Volcanoes to be Surveyed, Tapped for Geothermal Power
by Matthew McDermott, Brooklyn, NY on 07. 1.08
photo courtesy US Geological Survey
Recently we wrote about the US Department of Energy investing in advanced geothermal research. Well, Alaska isn’t waiting around for the Feds to dole out the cash to begin tapping the mountains around them for geothermal.
Daily Tech is reporting that Alaskan state officials have announced that they will begin funding surveying of Alaska’s largest volcanoes to determine just how much geothermal energy it may be able to generate from them: Some estimates indicate that up to 25% of Alaska’s energy needs could be met from this source.
Mt Spurr the First to be Exploited
The first volcano to have its exploration rights to come under the auctioneer’s hammer in August is the 11,070 foot tall Mount Spurr. The less lofty 4,134 Augustine Volacano, near Anchorage, has also been touted as a potential exploration site. Considering that Mount Spurr erupted as recently as 1992, there are obvious safety concerns with tapping such a volatile geothermal source, even if the payoff is potentially great.
According to the Bureau of Land Management, 12 states have significant potential for geothermal energy development.
via :: Daily Tech
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Would it be possible to take enough energy from an underground magma pool to keep a volcano from erupting? The super volcano in Yellowstone is potentially the most dangerous in the US and maybe the world. Would using its heat to generate electricity supply enough power to make tapping into it worth while? There are ecological concerns, it would have to be done intelligently, but the effect of an eruption would cause far greater ecological damage than anything humans could do it trying to prevent it.