With all its volcanic activity, it’s not surprising that Iceland is a star in geothermal energy. About 90 percent of all houses on the island are heated with geothermal energy. But Iceland now wants to take geothermal energy to a completely different level. It is looking for a way to use the intense heat of magma for an even more efficient energy system.
According to the researchers at the Krafla Magma Testbed (KMT), this new research is ‘what the Hedron Collider is to particle physics’. As the name of the team suggests, the team wants to drill into magma chambers deep underground. The extreme heat of this molten rock can be used to extract energy.
Supercritical water
The reason why magma is so attractive to researchers is the fact that the heat from the molten rock can drive water to a ‘supercritical’ state. This happens when water is heated above 373 degrees Celsius under a pressure of 220 bar. Water then turns into a substance that is neither liquid nor gas. In this supercritical state, water could hold up to ten times more energy than if it were liquid or steam. Its use could drastically improve the energy efficiency of geothermal energy. Moreover, it is a CO2-free clean source of energy.
Tags: Noteworthy geothermal energy drilling magma
