ENERGY FOR TOMORROW - Robert A Ginskey - October 1979

Robert A Ginskey

As energy prices soar and reserves dwindle, the industrialized world is coming under increasing pressure to find new ways of providing the energy on which our society depends. Solar power, wind energy, refuse burning, alcohol and methane production all show promise, but each is not without its limitations and disadvantages. One source of future power being given serious consideration is geothermal energy. About 20 miles below the crust of the earth, there exists a hot molten mass called magma. In some places the magma is relatively close to the surface (five to ten miles down). In a geothermal field, water trapped in fractures in the near-surface rocks is heated by the magma. This results in hot water and steam, which often can escape along fractures to the surface of the earth. Usually the steam is under considerable pressure, and when such a reservoir is tapped by drilling, the steam can be used to drive a turbine. - Information Supplied By: Herbert W Armstrong Library