In the high desert of southwestern Utah, a crane lowered a 60-foot-long metal tool into a well, heading for fractured rock a mile deep where scientists are refining techniques for Earth’s heat to generate electricity almost anywhere.
In the high desert of southwestern Utah, a crane lowered a 60-foot-long metal tool into a well, heading for fractured rock a mile deep where scientists are refining techniques for Earth’s heat to generate electricity almost anywhere.
Sarah Sausan, a PhD student on a team led by Stanford energy scientist Roland Horne, watched from the well site as the device descended through layers of rock to depths where temperatures reach over 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
Sensors housed within the tool measure levels of chloride seeping from fractured rock and enable Horne’s team to map how fluids move through the well. This kind of map helps geothermal energy engineers decide where to drill and how to manage circulation so water picks up the right amount of heat to drive a turbine and generate electricity.
Read More: Stanford University
