About Geothermal Energy

Geothermal energy is literally heat from the Earth. Resources of this energy range from the shallow ground, to hot water and hot rock a few miles beneath the Earth's surface, and even deeper to the extremely high temperatures of molten rock. 'Hot rock' energy is a vast, environmentally friendly, economically attractive energy source which is clean and sustainable.

South Australia has dwindling coal resources and limited gas supplies, and is now importing electricity from Victoria. If geothermal energy can be generated in South Australia, the economic significance is monumental. A low cost energy source, which is greenhouse gas free, will be available for generations to come.

Several factors are converging to cause strategic planners across the globe to look seriously at alternative sources of energy:

• The mounting evidence for global warming, which some proponents believe is caused by burning of fossil fuels and consequent release of greenhouse gases such as CO2.
  
• The projected increasing demand for energy, especially in developing countries, which ideally should be met from renewable and non-greenhouse gas emitting energy sources.
  
• The escalating cost of conventional fossil fuels such as coal and oil, and inevitable decline in oil production in future decades.
  
• The polluting nature of coal, especially lower rank coals (such as those used to generate the bulk of South Australia’s and Victoria’s electricity supplies).
  
• The taxes that may be imposed on greenhouse gas emitting electricity generators in the future, which may eventually make other forms of energy more competitive.

The ideal source of energy would therefore be one that:

• Is non-polluting, including zero emission of greenhouse gases.
  
• Is non-destructive of the environment.
  
• Is plentifully available and competitive with existing energy sources.
  
• Is both sustainable and renewable.
  
• Is continuous and therefore able to provide base load electricity power demands.
  
• Has minimal risk or danger to mankind.

Every form of energy currently used in Australia fails to meet all these criteria. For example, coal, oil and gas are obviously polluting, while solar and wind cannot provide baseload electricity demand and without substantial subsidies are not competitive with coal. Uranium generated nuclear power meets all the criteria, but suffers from the small amounts of high level radioactive waste it produces and the perceived risk from accidents. Hydro power has always been the ultimate source of clean energy, but construction of new hydro schemes is generally not acceptable in this age for the changes it causes in ecosystems. Geothermal energy from hot dry rocks is one form of energy that can satisfy the above criteria, yet is potentially plentifully available in parts of Australia and has virtually no environmental footprint.