Energy From The Deep Earth

Just 1.5 kilometers deep in the basement, the water is 140 º C and can be used for heating, not electricity production. At 5 km, however, exceeds 200 º C. A heat source can be transformed into electricity, which some European and American companies trying to exploit. The central importance in the world - close to Strasbourg - which will exploit the heat from a depth of 5 km, is under completion, will enter into operation at the end of the year to produce electricity at a lower price.

And that, after 20 years of research efforts and geothermal drilling to depths of 5 km of experts from companies and geothermal power (IGE) in Strasbourg (with reliable results, following experiments). The technique is based largely on water extraction by pumping and mixing them with a caloric fluid (isobutane) which stores the heat, allowing operation of a turbine that produces electricity. Electricity production will be very important, being 1.5-megawatt power plant, which is 1,200 times less than Fessenheim nuclear power plant, located nearby. But geothermal energy can meet an unprecedented development in the future. Two other projects are in progress, and will be completed in Alsace.

And in Switzerland, in Bale, wells were made for the same purpose is also injecting water under pressure to expand the network of fractures of rocks, thus facilitating water flow to take advantage of a higher water flow (hydraulic stimulation ), which has led to a destabilization of the subsoil, causing in 2006 a quake with a magnitude of 3.6 and Richter. (A complementary solution and IGE used and abandoned in 2003, which, besides the fact that he gave the expected results, caused about 10,000 microseismic). After the earthquake, which damaged highways, houses, etc.., Bale project was halted.

And U.S. companies are interested in the basement will heat energy to do more similar plants until 2059 to ensure 10% of electricity needs, benefiting from the French principle of drilling technique. Earth's crust to a hole so deep it's an extremely difficult and expensive but a day of reaching drilling costs 30,000 euros.
 In the long term, but the solution will be very profitable.