Question

What maximum temperature might be expected at the bottom of a well drilled within a relatively high-grade geothermal energy such as Lightning Dock geothermal resource in southwest New Mexico?

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Answer 1

There is an inexhaustible amount of energy lying right beneath our feet. It is a renewable and stable energy source free of carbon dioxide emissions. Researchers are now planning to drill deep into the Earth to extract it. If they succeed it will be a major technological breakthrough. Ninety-nine per cent of planet Earth has a temperature in excess of 1,000 degrees Celsius as a result of residual heat inherited from the Earth's primordial origins and the breakdown of radioactive materials. This heat can be transformed into energy and there is more than enough to go round.One of the sources of high temperature in the earth is heat that was generated during the formation of our planet, as meteorites and planetary bodies collided and the molten sphere separated into dense inner layers (core) and less dense outer layers (mantle and crust). This heat has been stored in the core and mantle for the 4.6 billion years since the earth was formed. Heat is also produced by the decay of radioactive elements, including potassium, uranium, and thorium. Early on, these elements were distributed throughout the earth’s interior, but now most radioactive elements are concentrated in the crust. Radioactive decay accounts for approximately 80 percent of the heat generated, and residual heat from earth’s formation accounts for the remaining 20 percent. In addition, the uppermost 30 feet of the ground surface absorbs solar energy during the summer and releases that energy during the winter.