In case you weren't aware, below the surface of the earth there's a sea of insanely hot material that's constantly swirling around. When tapped, that heat source can be used as geothermal power. With so much down there, why aren't we using it more? That's a question asked in Australia, where a study determined that a mere 1% of Australia's geothermal power potential could provide the nation with a whopping 26,000 years of energy. The trick is getting it out.
A report from the Australian Geothermal Energy Association lays out how it would work, including drilling down a whopping 2.8 miles into the surface of the earth to tap into that hot magma. In order to reach 20% of electricity demands using this system, it would require a $10.45 billion project that would take over a decade to complete. But hey, once it's done you've got clean energy coming up from below. And that sounds just great to us.
Reuters, via Treehugger
