Spanish Scientists Harvest Geothermal Energy From Old Mines

Research from two scientists at University of Oviedo in Spain shows that mine shafts may be a potential source of geothermal energy.

“One way of making use of low-intensity geothermal energy is to convert mine shafts into geothermal boilers, which could provide heating and hot water for people living nearby” said Rafael Rodríguez, from the Oviedo Higher Technical School of Mining Engineering.

The energy comes naturally from the internal heat of the earth, and the energy output can be calculated mathematically for each mine tunnel. Rafael Rodríguez and María Belarmina Díaz have developed this method, which allows them to harvest energy from the old mine shafts.

The two scientists are planning on using their new method to harvest energy from a two kilometer long mine tunnel 500 metres deep.  Water will be pumped into tubes where the rocks have a temperature of 30 degrees Celsius.  The water will enter the shaft at 7º C and return at 12º C, a sufficient enough gain in heat to provide energy to towns nearby the mine entrance.

Using geothermal energy would pose a huge advantage as it reduces carbon dioxide emissions and is not subject to outside climate change.  It is also relatively economic as it does not require large developments to harvest.

The energy would be used directly by residential homes, small businesses, and industrial units in the local area.

Special thanks to greenoptimistic.com for the above quote, for more information please view the article on their website.