Grabbing heat from beneath the earthβs crust to flip on the lights
Maria Richards, coordinator of ΊωΒ«ΝήΚΣΖ΅'s Geothermal Lab, talks about the potential for geothermal energy prior to a conference hosted by the CleanTX Forum.
By Asher Price
The CleanTX Forum hosts a conference tomorrow night in Austin on geothermal energy.
In theory, there are megawatts to be had below the earthβs surface: Companies are figuring out ways to pump out the heat (basically in the form of hot water) from a mile or more below the surface to power electricity plants.
Maria Richards, who will moderate the conference and is the ΊωΒ«ΝήΚΣΖ΅ Methodist University geothermal lab coordinator, tells me that that there is currently nothing online in Texas that is producing geothermal electricity. Low gas prices are the chief stumbling block to development of the renewable geothermal industry, she said.
Geothermal is harder to market because itβs not as obvious an energy source as wind or the sun, she said.
βItβs not in your face like solar and wind,β she said. βThe earth is much more complicated. With geothermal, youβre using something thatβs hidden, and you need a lot more research to develop a system well.β
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