Earth Core Heatsink Power Plant

To read science fiction ... many (or most) of our technologies are predicted in science fiction. I haven't read his books since I was a kid but clearly his ideas have some merit ... and are also not feasible to develop today. Since the magma is in a plasma state it is subject to it's surroundings. There is is a certain amount of rock that contains it. If a hole is pierced into this, you will create a volcano. The pressure is not easy to block, because of the temperature of the magma.

If you drill with a laser you will consume more power than you generate, and the magma would melt it anyways.

The geothermal vents as pointed out by another poster are natures own mechanism for doing this. This is a better approach, to find areas that are still rock but are super heated. Water can be piped down and then is turned into steam, which is sent through generating turbines, just like steam power (and oil, gas, coal, and nuclear power all do).

It's a good idea, but expensive. Likely we will be forced to turn to this if / when our oil sources run out. Until then mankind is too stupid to actually do something intelligent like switch to clean and renewable fuels. They'd rather get shot at.

Interesting posts as I have always been interested in Geothermal energy as an alternative, google and you will find all kinds of interesting information on this. There is one thing however about entropy,a question we all have to ask ourselves: Why has the earths core not cooled off after all these billions of years? I read something not to long ago (looking for the link) about heat generated by gravitic compression (This is what starts the fusion reaction in stars) and the big debate amongst certain scientist whether "equilibrium" can be achieved after a certain scale or does the weak and strong nuclear forces (gravity pressing down on the matter in the core and the strong nuclear forces that keep the matter from being compressed 'fighting' back) 'cause' the 'continued' generation of heat.. One school of thought is the decay of pottasium is keeping the earths core hot. Intesting stuff.

One link:


www.berkeley.edu...


But what do you guys think about the "perpetual energy" creation possibillity? (And I call it a possibility) I'm well aware of the law of conservation of energy but on the scale we are talking about.. No one really knows what's keeping the earths crust hot for sure.

The intense pressures and gravitational force maybE? well in any case its a massive amount of energy that needs to be harnessed.

I saw on the tube several years ago that a company was considering doing this in Hawaii---besides all of the factors to consider was the Hawaiian's belief in not altering the mystical Gods there.

[edit on 7/28/2005 by mercury19]