2024-01-08 09:30:00
For a decade, the project Krafla Magma Testbed (KMT) has been working tirelessly to take advantage of the high temperatures of the magma chamber of the Krafla volcano in Iceland, with the aim of producing clean and almost free energy. The scientists leading the project are now announcing the exciting phase of first drilling, marking a significant milestone towards the creation of a novel geothermal power plant with the potential to supply massive amounts of electricity to the world.
Iceland, along with the US and Kenya, leads the vanguard of geothermal energy. Although this sustainable and abundant source has proven to be efficient, its global adoption is limited by the difficulty of drilling at great depths and the temperature restriction in standard wells. However, this paradigm could soon change.
The Geothermal Energy Revolution
The KMT research team is exploring methods to locate magma chambers and extract their energy, challenging what until recently was considered impossible. Some of these molten rock deposits reach temperatures of up to 900°C and are located at shallow depths, making them accessible with current drilling technologies.
Projects like Quasie, founded by former MIT engineers, also seek to harness the energy of magma with innovative millimeter wave drills. The promise of results for next year from Quasie and the start of KMT in 2026 indicate a possible breakthrough that could transform geothermal energy, offering a 24-hour inexhaustible source at a markedly reduced cost, thus eliminating dependence on fuels. fossils.
Accidental Discoveries and New Perspectives
The prospect of drilling through magma has long been a feared challenge. However, accidental discoveries, such as that of the Icelandic Deep Drilling Project (IDDP) in 2000, have shown that safe drilling of magma is feasible. This chance find revealed that the layer that stopped drilling was composed of obsidian, an ultra-hard volcanic glass, suggesting successful penetration into a magma chamber without triggering an eruption.
These discoveries, along with similar projects in Kenya and Hawaii, have paved the way to understanding that safe magma drilling is possible. In addition, Krafla’s geothermal fluids reached temperatures of 900 °C and a pressure 500 times higher than atmospheric pressure, generating ten times more energy than conventional geothermal drilling.
Exploring New Energy Frontiers
The KMT team is preparing to analyze the characteristics of the Krafla magma chamber, starting a new phase of research. The data collected could not only reveal the location of other magma chambers around the world, but also improve the prediction of volcanic eruptions.
As science advances, the KMT will drill a second well to test this new source of geothermal energy. The technology developed could lead to an innovative form of geothermal energy close to magma, taking advantage of magma holes to generate electricity. Researchers believe this technology has significant global potential, suggesting that seafloor platforms could harvest energy from magma holes and produce low-carbon synthetic fuels.
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