An Underground Solution

Energy and where we get it from has become a major global issue for the modern era, with a growing understanding that fossil fuels are not a permanent solution to the massive and ever-growing demand for energy.

Renewable energy is all about harnessing the energy that surrounds us, such as sunlight or strong breezes, and utilizing it for our own needs.

One of these sources exists right beneath our feet.

Geothermal power plants, which harness the Earth's natural temperatures to provide heating and cooling energy, have been around for years. While the United States currently utilizes this power source more than any other country, much of this potential energy remains untapped.

Researchers are now looking to tap into this energy source in a new way, known as enhanced geothermal systems.

These systems look to create reservoirs in bedrock about three miles underground. These reservoirs are filled with water, which is heated by the Earth's natural temperatures, producing steam that spins a turbine and creating electricity.

Recently, there has been research into whether carbon dioxide can be used instead of water in these systems.

When heated and pressurized sufficiently, carbon dioxide becomes supercritical carbon dioxide, a material with both the characteristics of a gas and a liquid simultaneously. This material flows more easily than water, and would not interact with minerals and toxins present in bedrock, preventing contamination and permanently sequestering the carbon dioxide underground.

As we look for game-changing technologies and ideas to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and clean the air for future generations, the answers might not just be under our noses, but under our feet, as well.