Geothermal power and the intricacies behind tapping into the Earth’s energy
Humanity’s quest to tap into the inexhaustible power source lying beneath our feet has spanned millennia, with civilizations from ancient Rome to Aboriginal Australia attempting to harness power from the Earth’s core. Geothermal energy — derived from sources like volcanoes in Iceland and hot springs in the United States — presents vast opportunities for electricity production.
However, despite its long history and potential benefits, geothermal power remains largely untapped. In the United States, only a fraction of the nation’s energy — about 1.5% — is sourced from geothermal reservoirs.
“Researchers from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory claimed that every house in the U.S. could be heated from geothermal sources for millennia,” theoretical physicist Sabine Hossenfelder said. “This sounds good, but in reality, geothermal energy presently plays a small role in most places on Earth.”
The Biden administration is hoping to change this by investing over $200 million in various initiatives aimed at expanding and enhancing geothermal energy systems domestically. The administration’s goal is to leverage this technology to power over 40 million American homes, constituting more than a quarter of the nation’s households.
“Geothermal runs day and night, and so with the right investments and incentives, we can increase the power that we generate from the heat beneath our feet 47 fold by 2050,” U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said. “Now, that is enough to power Texas 12 times over.”
One of the advantages of geothermal energy is its affordability for consumers. Geothermal energy costs roughly half as much compared to nuclear power, while also outperforming coal in terms of cost-effectiveness and environmental impact. The Department of Energy hailed geothermal power as a “clean energy source,” emitting only excess steam and minimal amounts of gas, thereby significantly reducing carbon emissions compared to fossil fuels.
Despite its environmental and economic advantages, the widespread adoption of geothermal energy will still be a challenge. The primary hurdle lies in the high upfront costs for developers, with geothermal plants being up to 10 times more expensive to construct than solar or wind farms.
The process of extracting geothermal energy, particularly through flash steam power plants, entails drilling miles deep into the Earth’s crust, which can be time-consuming and capital-intensive. In some cases, developers will have to wait as long as a decade before the plant can get up and running to produce revenue.
“Once the [geothermal power plant] is firmly developed and everything is running well, it is definitely a cash cow — you are making money left and right,” Gerald W. Huttrer, a geothermal geologist and consultant said. “But it takes a long time and people are impatient.”
The accessibility of geothermal resources varies across different regions, leading to higher land costs in areas suitable for geothermal power plants. These plots of land for larger scale operations can be worth tens of millions alone.
Nonetheless, the federal government’s recent investments in this sector signal a significant commitment to expanding renewable energy sources. In the past year, the United States emerged as the leading producer of geothermal energy globally, with continued investment trends likely to unlock even more of the Earth’s subterranean energy potential in the near future.
Total solar eclipse means big business for US with Indy racing to be top spot
Indianapolis, Indiana, is known for many things: the Indy 500, being the birthplace of actor Brendan Fraser and talk show host David Letterman, and the home of the Peyton Manning-led Super Bowl XVI champion Colts. But now the town whose nicknames include Circle City and the Crossroads of America is seeking a new title: the Eclipse Capital of the Midwest.
For an entire weekend in April, Indiana’s capital will host a series of events all centered around one extraordinary show taking place millions of miles up. That’s right, America — a total solar eclipse is headed our way.
Well, total, only for people in Indiana or 14 other states.
“If you look at the path, [it] starts down in Austin, goes up through Dallas and all the way through Buffalo, but if you think about true mid-western cities, Cleveland is in the path but Indianapolis is smack dab in the crossroads of America and we are expecting 100,000 visitors at minimum to our city,” Clare Clark with Visit Indy told Straight Arrow News, speaking on the tourism the eclipse is expected to bring to the city.
On April 8, thousands will converge on Indy to join millions across the country looking up and gazing at the sky, as the sun, moon and Earth align in what’s called syzygy.
Dr. Kelly Korreck, the NASA program manager for the solar eclipse, said viewers will see the moon completely cover the sun, but that’s not all. Korreck said people will also see the sun’s outer corona — or atmosphere — which is “where our origins of space weather come from.”
A total solar eclipse is a rare event. It will be only the second time in seven years that the continental U.S. will experience one.
“There are 31.5 million people who are in that path and around 200 million who live within a few hours’ drive of that path,” Korreck said. “And the entire continental United States, as well as parts of Alaska and Hawaii, will be seeing a partial eclipse. So that’s over 300 million people will experience a part of this celestial event.”
Staying safe while viewing the eclipse
The same rules from the 2017 total solar eclipse apply here. Don’t look directly at the sun, at least for most of the eclipse. People will need solar viewing glasses or a handheld solar viewer to safely witness the eclipse and prevent eye damage. To view it using a camera, telescope or binoculars, people will need solar filters.
However, there is a time when it’s safe to look directly at the sun without any eye protection. People can take those shades off during the brief total phase.
“Now, during the totality itself, which can last up to four minutes in different parts of the U.S., you don’t need the glasses,” Dr. Alex Lockwood, NASA’s Eclipse Engagement lead, said. “You can actually look at the sun for the only time during the daytime. However, before and after, as the moon is eclipsing the sun, in order to witness this event and to see these spectacular Baily’s Beads that happen just as you see the craters of the moon, as the moon is fully covering the sun, in order to appreciate all of that phenomenon you need [to wear the eclipse] glasses.”
Those who don’t live in Indiana or any one of the 15 states in the 115-mile-wide path of totality are not out of luck, because a partial eclipse may still be visible. A partial eclipse happens when the moon covers most but not all of the sun. But even for a partial eclipse, people still need wear special glasses.
Sky’s the limit for eclipse-related offerings
However, if you are determined to see the total solar eclipse, how about viewing it at 30,000 feet?
Delta and Southwest are offering flights that pass through the path of totality. There was so much demand for it, Delta had to add a second path-of-totality flight after the first sold out.
Southwest partnered with Omni Hotels for a “Solarbration” sweepstakes. The lucky winner will fly on a plane predicted to be in the eclipse’s path and then stay in an out-of-this-world custom-designed hotel room inspired by the celestial event.
Businesses of all kinds are bringing the eclipse experience to customers in different ways.
Cleveland’s Market Garden Brewery created a hazy IPA called “The Totality.” The Donut Dude in Ohio is offering an eclipse special: seven donuts that display the different phases as the moon blocks the sun.
Fast-food spots are getting in on the fun, too. Sonic Drive-in released a limited-edition Blackout slush float that comes with a free pair of viewing glasses.
Indy becomes a top destination for total solar eclipse
Businesses and hotels in Indianapolis are buzzing in anticipation over the eclipse.
Clare Clark from Visit Indy touted the city is within a half-day drive to half of the nation’s population. Visit Indy is preparing for eclipse enthusiasts from Cincinnati, St. Louis, Madison, Wisconsin and other big cities to come and partake in the celebrations.
“If you want to take in the eclipse in the art and cultural lens you can go to Newfield which is our 152-acre museum,” Clark told Straight Arrow News.
Astronomy fans who also enjoy sports can camp out at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, where NASA will be on hand to livestream the eclipse. NASA personnel will be joined by the family of Purdue alumnus Neil Armstrong, the first person to walk on the moon.
“We’re no stranger to hosting large scale events,” Clark said. “The Indianapolis 500 is the single largest sporting day event that brings 300,000 people to the Motor Speedway every May. This is what Indy does best. Our attractions, hotels, restaurants are all-hands-on-deck. We have 50 plus events that we are just monitoring right now in the city and more events are being added daily.”
Indy has company in wooing eclipse tourists
Indy is not alone in turning the eclipse into a memorable experience for tourists. All are hoping to see similar results to South Carolina in 2017, when that eclipse resulted in an economic impact of $269 million.
The Lone Star State, a major viewing hotspot for this eclipse, is hosting multiple events including the four-day Texas Eclipse Festival in Burnet. Morrilton, Arkansas, has an eclipse concert series and rising country music singer Dylan Marlowe is performing a post-eclipse concert in Rochester, New York.
The path of totality is certainly the place to be. Airbnb said it’s seen an increase of 1,000% in stays along the path. Expedia reported top cities are seeing massive spikes in hotel searches, up to 1,100%, and right there in the top 5 is that “Eclipse Capital of the Midwest” — Indianapolis.
“The eclipse won’t be coming through Indianapolis again until 2153, so this is truly is a once in a lifetime opportunity,” Clark said. “And a proximity to all of those larger markets and how people can take a weekend or take a day trip to Indianapolis is what’s making us really hopeful about the influx of visitors we’re going to see on April 8.”
China’s ‘Divine Dragon’ space plane lays ‘eggs’ in Earth orbit
China’s secretive space plane, called Shenlong or “Divine Dragon,” is apparently laying “eggs” into Earth’s orbit. The astronomer who originally tracked the objects called them “mysterious wingmen,” but in truth, it’s not clear what they are.
China launched the Shenlong on Dec. 14, marking the space plane’s third voyage into orbit. That’s when amateur astronomer and satellite tracker, Scott Tilley, noticed the Shenlong deployed six smaller devices, dubbed Objects A, B, C, D, E and F. The objects are in different orbits around the earth and are transmitting signals.
One of the signals — from Object A — is similar to previous radio frequencies used on an earlier Shenlong mission. However, at least two objects — D and E — are emitting what Tilley calls “idle placeholder” signals. Tilley says those signals are very intermittent and took days of observations from all over the Earth to confirm.
While the Shenlong program is shrouded in secrecy, it comes as no surprise it can carry and deploy payloads. Unless China suddenly opens up, determining exactly what those payloads are will take more study.
In the days ahead, Objects A, D and E will move closer to each other along their orbital paths. Tilley says once they’re close enough, he and other astronomers will be looking for any communication between the objects, which could shed further light on their use.
China’s space ambitions — like its military and economic ones — are expanding rapidly. The People’s Republic of China wants to unseat the United States as Earth’s leading space faring nation. The PRC is building their own space station and planning manned missions to the moon like the U.S. Even the Shenlong space plane is modeled after the X-37B developed by the United States Air Force.
While Tilley and a team of other amateur astronomers keep an eye on China’s space plane from Earth, the Pentagon is advancing plans to keep an eye on China’s earth-bound activities from space.
