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Jul 21, 2008NewScientist.com: Geothermal powerplants could also consume CO2
Tim Simonite explores the concept of using enhanced geothermal systems (EGS) to consume CO2. In the article Simonite interviews Karsten Pruess, a hydro-geologist at Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory in the US. The concept Pruess proposes is using CO2 to drive the closed loop EGS system. Pruess goes onto say that using CO2 to drive turbines in an EGS process could enhance energy output by up to 50%.
Pumping carbon dioxide through hot rocks could simultaneously generate power and mop up the greenhouse gases produced by fossil fuel power stations, according to a new study.
Harnessing geothermal power involves extracting heat from beneath the surface of the Earth. Normally, this means pumping water down through hot rocks and extracting it again. But the new analysis suggests carbon dioxide could extract heat from rocks more efficiently than water.
Karsten Pruess, a hydro-geologist at Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory in the US, carried out the study and says carbon dioxide could theoretically boost the amount of energy produced by hydrothermal plants by 50% or more. At the same time, Pruess calculates that the technique could be used to dispose of the carbon dioxide produced by conventional power plants, which contribute to global warming
To read the full article: http://technology.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn10478&feedId=online-n
