An attempt to drill into the heart of a volcano in the south-west of Iceland is now complete.
Geologists have penetrated 4,659m down, creating the deepest-ever volcanic borehole.
Their aim is to tap into the steam at the bottom of the well to provide a source of geothermal energy.
They recorded temperatures of 427C, but believe the hole will get hotter when they widen it in the coming months.
If it works, maybe the Japanese could do likewise and avoid nuclear and fossil fuel power alike.
(Score: 2) by requerdanos on Saturday February 04 2017, @12:52PM
I guess the question is, how much of them are exposed to the plumbing in the hole. FTFA:
The article is short on measurement and short on math, so there's really no way to tell how long it would take to get that shower ready.
To be clear, I totally concede that the earth has enough heat to warm enough water for us all to have nice hot showers forever--and probably to supply the majority of our energy needs here on the surface. In my inexpert mind, I have always thought that the secret to geothermal energy was digging deep enough, and articles like this are exciting to me for that reason.