Infinite Energy Underfoot: Geothermal Energy, the Hope for Humanity's Future?

Infinite Energy Underfoot: Geothermal Energy, the Hope for Humanity's Future?Geothermal Energy Development and Application in the United StatesTo protect the environment, people often consider environmental factors when developing new energy sources. The United States has developed and utilized a clean energy source geothermal energy

Infinite Energy Underfoot: Geothermal Energy, the Hope for Humanity's Future?

Can you imagine? Under our feet, there might be an inexhaustible source of energy! Currently, the United States is already trying to develop this energy, and according to relevant estimations, as long as the technical conditions are met, this energy could be used by humans for two to three billion years. This means that if it can be developed and utilized on a large scale, humans in the next two to three billion years will not have to worry about energy. What is this energy? Can it really reach such an exaggerated level? What is the current status of China's development and utilization of it?

This article will delve into this "infinite energy" of geothermal energy, combining authoritative materials and personal viewpoints, analyzing its development status and future prospects.

Geothermal Energy Development and Application in the United States

From the initial utilization of fossil resources to the later use of nuclear power generation, human civilization seems to have made great progress, but in fact, it is still at the level of "boiling water", only the way people "boil water" has changed. In the past, people used coal and firewood to "boil water", which was not only inefficient but also polluted the environment. Today, people utilize the high temperatures brought about by nuclear fission to "boil water", which has greatly improved energy utilization efficiency, but it still pollutes the environment to some extent.

To protect the environment, people often consider environmental factors when developing new energy sources. The United States has developed and utilized a clean energy source geothermal energy. Geothermal energy is widely used in the United States. According to statistics, California, Nevada, Texas, Idaho, and other states currently use this clean energy source. Among them, California has the world's largest geothermal power plant the Geysers Geothermal Power Plant. It can be said that most of the geothermal power generation in the United States is concentrated in California, where geothermal resources can generate about 2.5 gigawatts of electricity, meeting 5% of California's energy needs.

It is worth noting that in addition to civilian use, the US military is also actively exploring the application of geothermal energy. As early as the 1980s, the US military began to develop geothermal energy. However, because geothermal power generation is greatly affected by terrain and its cost-effectiveness is not as high as traditional power generation methods, it has not become the main energy supply method for the US military. In recent years, with the emergence of new development technologies, geothermal power generation has broken free from terrain limitations, and its application prospects are becoming broader.

A retired US Air Force general said: "Geothermal energy has the characteristics of large reserves, wide distribution, and good stability. Newly developed technologies in recent years can help geothermal energy break free from terrain limitations. Once the US military uses geothermal power generation on a large scale, it will ensure that they still have a continuous power supply after natural disasters and cyberattacks, thereby improving the overall combat readiness of the US military."

In addition to power generation, the United States also uses geothermal energy for heating. Cities like Portland, Oregon and Reno, Nevada have already established related infrastructure systems to provide heating services for residents using underground hot water or steam.

The Current Status of Geothermal Energy Development in China

Geothermal energy refers to natural heat energy extracted from the Earth's crust, which mainly comes from the magma inside the Earth, and is also the energy that causes volcanic eruptions and earthquakes. Natural hot springs are typical shallow geothermal energy sources. In this regard, China is one of the earliest countries to utilize geothermal energy, dating back to the pre-Qin period. This includes the later well-known Huaqing Palace in Chang'an, which are all examples of the rational utilization of geothermal energy.

China truly began to develop and utilize geothermal resources in the 1970s. Benefitting from the experience of learning from abroad, China quickly became the eighth country in the world to adopt geothermal power generation, and in the 1970s, it built seven medium and low-temperature geothermal power plants, such as the Fengshun County in Guangdong Province. At the same time, China also explored and discovered about 300 oil fields. Although due to some reasons, China did not form a continuous industrial investment, these achievements laid a good foundation for the formation and development of our later geothermal industry.

In the 21st century, China's geothermal industry has developed rapidly. By the end of 2005, the annual direct utilization of geothermal fluid resources nationwide had reached 445.7 million cubic meters. However, unfortunately, although China's geothermal industry has become increasingly mature, the scale of geothermal power generation remains small. As of 2022, China's installed capacity of geothermal power generation is 53.45 megawatts, accounting for only 0.33% of the world's installed capacity of geothermal power generation.

Although China Petrochemical announced in early April that their company's Fushenhot-1 well deployed in Hainan was successfully completed, with a depth of 5,200 meters, setting a new record for the deepest geothermal scientific exploration well in China, and the successful drilling of this well is also of great significance for promoting the large-scale development of geothermal resources in South China, but for now, our country still has "a long way to go" in this regard.

Geothermal Energy: The Hope for Humanity's Future?

So, why do we have to mine geothermal energy if it's so difficult to extract? Is geothermal energy really inexhaustible?

Geothermal energy is a renewable resource, just like solar energy, hydropower, etc. Moreover, because it is relatively cheap and clean compared to resources such as oil and kerosene, rationally developing and utilizing this energy can not only facilitate our human lives but also protect the environment on which we depend.

A typical example is Iceland. Although 11.5% of Iceland's land is covered by glaciers, there are over 200 volcanoes in the island, including more than 30 active volcanoes. It can be said that the whole island is a coexistence of glaciers and volcanoes, earthquakes and geothermal energy. This unique geological structure of Iceland also makes it the country with the richest geothermal resources in the world.

Iceland began to use geothermal energy on a large scale in 1975, and it has been nearly 50 years now. In these 50 years, because Iceland has used geothermal energy extensively, it has reduced the import of oil and other energy sources. Therefore, the emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases throughout the island are lower than in other countries, making Iceland one of the cleanest countries in the world.

So, why should we mine geothermal energy in large quantities? Because this energy allows us to use it safely and reliably, while also reducing carbon emissions and control the goal of global warming.

As for whether geothermal energy is inexhaustible, in my opinion, it is an inexhaustible energy source, but it mainly refers to deep geothermal energy buried at depths exceeding 3,000 meters, such as the hot dry rock resources known to some friends, which is generally "hidden" deep in the Earth and will not be depleted by human use. Unfortunately, this deep geothermal energy is not easy to extract.

In recent years, many countries have been continuously improving technologies to extract hot dry rock. For example, in the United States, in 2022, an American energy company announced that they are developing a "wave drilling technology" that aims to drill at least 19 kilometers into the Earth to release infinite geothermal energy.

If this technology can successfully achieve its goals, then it will usher in a new era of deep geothermal extraction. Perhaps we can truly realize our dream of having unlimited energy.

Geothermal energy, as a clean, efficient, and sustainable energy source, has enormous potential. It may be the hope for humanity's future energy, and it is worth our continued exploration and development.

References:

1. "Geothermal Development and Utilization Should Advance into Deeper Zones" China Energy News, May 6, 2024

2. "5,200 Meters! China's Deepest Geothermal Scientific Exploration Well Completed" Xinhua News Agency, April 8, 2024

3. "China's Direct Utilization of Geothermal Energy is the Largest in the World: How to Make the Industry "Boil"?" Science and Technology Daily, November 23, 2023

4. "China's Geothermal Direct Utilization is Ranked First in the World, Why is Power Generation Utilization Progress Slow?" Interface News, August 1, 2023

5. "Geothermal Energy Can Also Serve Humanity" Popular Science China Science Principles Explained (Issuing Authority: Hainan Provincial Geological Bureau), January 8, 2018

6. "Digging the Deepest Hole to Release Unlimited Energy" China Youth Daily, March 20, 2022

7. "Extracting Geothermal Energy: Deeply Digging into the Earth for Thermal Energy, is it Reliable?" China Association for Science and Technology Science Debunking Platform, August 1, 2022

8. "US Military Base Plans to Use Geothermal Energy" Guangming.com - China National Defense News, July 19, 2023

9. "Geothermal Energy The "Dark Horse" of Renewable Energy" China Energy News, December 8

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